363 - SEATED BRONZE AMITYUS TIBET 17TH CENTURY

SEATED BRONZE AMITYUS TIBET 17TH CENTURY Dimensions: Height 14 cm Wide 8,5 cm Depth 5,5 cm Weight: 425 grams A finely modelled Tibetan bronze Amitayus seated in meditation on a double-lotus pedestal. The deity wears an elaborate crown with flame-like ornaments, large circular earrings, necklaces and a central pendant that falls across the chest. Both hands rest together in the lap in a meditative gesture, creating a quiet focal point beneath the richly ornamented head and upper body. The surface is predominantly dark brown, with warmer coppery tones and scattered green oxidation enlivening the jewellery, face and lotus base. Amitayus, the Buddha of Infinite Life, is one of the principal deities associated with longevity in Tibetan Buddhism. His imagery is recognisable through the combination of regal ornaments and a meditative seated posture: unlike the simple monastic appearance of Shakyamuni, Amitayus is shown crowned and bejewelled, embodying enlightened life in a princely form. The present bronze is especially successful in balancing ornament and stillness. The crown, earrings and necklace create a dense halo of detail around the head, but the symmetrical hands and crossed legs anchor the sculpture in calm concentration. At fourteen centimetres high it remains intimate enough for close devotional viewing, where the small variations in patina and finely cast jewellery become increasingly apparent.