A BUDDHA AMOGHASIDDHI, NEPAL 17TH CENTURY

A BUDDHA AMOGHASIDDHI, NEPAL 17TH CENTURY
The heavily cast gilt copper-alloy figure is seated in dhyanasana on a double lotus base edged with an incised rim, the right hand in abhayamudra and the left in dhyanamudra, the face with half-open eyelids, short eyebrows, lips gently turned upwards into a smile expressing a serene and benevolent stance.

Provenance: Spink & Son Ltd, London. European private collection, acquired from the above. Thence by descent.
Published: Spink and Son Ltd, Visions of Perfect Worlds: Buddhist Art from the Himalayas, 1999, page 11.
Condition: Significant wear to gilding. Traces of use and minor dents. Some casting flaws. Unsealed, the inner revealing two inserted sacred paper rolls.

Weight: 1621.2 grams
Dimensions: Height 17.5 cm

This beautifully proportioned sculpture depicts Buddha with formidable yet calm authority. It is modeled in an archaistic style inspired by Nepalese sculpture of the 12th/13th centuries, which is in turn inspired by early Licchavi period art (300-879). The bronze's broad forehead, curved earlobes and prominent lotus base are redolent of early Nepalese style. Meanwhile its larger scale, pleated robe, and more linear treatment of the soles of the feet slightly depart from it.

Amoghasiddhi is one of the Five Cosmic Buddhas, also known as the Five Tathagatas or the Five Dhyani Buddhas. He is the head of the Karma (action) family of deities. Amoghasiddhi is associated with the northern quarter of the mandala and his consort is Green Tara.

Auction result comparison: Compare with a closely related 17th century Licchavi style figure of Padmapani (note the similarity of the lotus base) from the collection of Geraldine Rockefeller Dodge at Christies New York on March 21st, 2012, in Indian and Southeast Asian Art, lot 835. Also compare with copper-alloy image of Buddha Shakyamuni at Bonham's Hong Kong on November 29th, 2016, in Images of Devotion, lot 128.

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