A GILT BRONZE FIGURE OF A BUDDHA, DATED 1709

A GILT BRONZE FIGURE OF A CROWNED BUDDHA, DATED 1709
Tibet. Seated in dhyanasana on a separately crafted unsealed copper repousse lotus base with a Tibetan inscription above the foot. The hands in dharmachakramudra, wearing a long flowing robe draped over the left shoulder, floral earrings and necklace, and a five-leaf crown, the serene face with urna and heavy lidded eyes, the hair arranged in tight curls surmounted by an ushnisha.

Inscription: In the year 829 Samvat (corresponding to 1709 AD), first Bright Half of Magha month, Vajracharya Gunjayana donated this image of Shakyamuni.

Provenance: From the collection of an artist and university professor in Vienna.
Condition: The base is strongly warped, remnants of a temple tang to the back of the head, wear to gilt, small dents, light scratches, minuscule nicks, some losses, overall fair condition with old wear.

Weight: 1,113 g
Dimensions: Height 17 cm

Expert's note: While the Tibetan inscription to the separately crafted base dates the present piece to the year 1709 AD, it is our belief that the figure itself was actually cast in Nepal, in the Newari style, during the late 14th to mid-16th century, as clearly indicated by the superb gilding and gently arched back of the figure.

銅鎏金坐佛像，1709年
西藏。佛陀結跏趺坐在分開製作的未密封的蓮花座上，腳上刻有藏文。 雙手結説法印，著長袍披在左肩上，佩戴華貴的耳環和項鍊，頭頂螺髻與五葉冠，寧靜的臉上天眼，雙眼低垂。

款: 維克拉姆歷第829年 (及公元1709 年), 上半月, Vajracharya Gunjayana 捐贈了這座釋迦牟尼造像

來源：一個維也納的藝術家兼大學教授私人收藏。
品相：底座嚴重翹曲，頭部後面可見原光背的殘餘，鎏金磨損小凹痕，輕微划痕，細微的刻痕，有些缺損耗，總體狀況良好。

重量：1,113 克
尺寸：高17 厘米

專家注釋：雖然在分開製作的底座上的藏文銘文可追溯到公元1709年，但我們相信，這個造像本身是尼泊爾人以紐瓦里（Newari）風格鑄造的，在14世紀中葉至16世紀中葉，造像精湛的鎏金以及優雅的拱背，很清楚的展現了這個風格。