PROVENANCE:
Private Asian Collection

A Gilt Bronze Figure of Amithayus
Qing Dynasty (AD 1636-1912)

The deity seated in dhyansana with both hands folded in dhyana mudra on a separately cast lotus pedestal, demonstrates the typical posture of a figure of Amithayus. It is brilliantly gilded overall except for the hair which bears traces of blue pigment, on top it a spherical cintamani ‘jewel’ finial. The serene face with a hollowed urna above slim, downcast eyes and a bow-shaped mouth shows the Buddha’s divinity as a fuse of intelligence and kindness. His torso is draped in a loose kasaya, falling across one arm while leaving the right shoulder bare, the robes skillfully chased and incised with patterns of square lattices and detailed borders of composite flowers at the hem, cascading on the base in fan-shaped folds. The figure is of a big scale and preserved perfectly. On the bottom there is an original Tibetan inscription, making this figure all the more precious.