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2. A small votive figure of Buddha China Late Sui - early Tang Dynasty (VI-VII) Gilt bronze H: 11 cm (4.3 inches) |
The small Buddha is shown sitting in dyanasana with hands resting upon the knees and legs crossed hidden within the folds of the layered monk robe loosely draped over the shoulders, the robe covers the seat. The full round face is incised with simple lines high - arched brows, half closed eyes and small mouth - yet effectively conveying a meditative expression beneath a domed usnisha. Behind the figure a peach-shaped halo slightly inclined forward, symbolizes the sacred aura that radiates around the Buddha (for a very similar halo see a Buddhist triad altarpiece dated 597 - Sui dynasty - at the Freer Gallery of Art). This figure was most probably the central piece of a small votive group made for personal devotion (see: Buddhism Art and Faith – edited by the British Museum, plate 292). Ref: compare with a similar Buddha published in “The Buddhist gilt-bronze statues in China (Zhonguo Foxian Wenhua Yangzousou) 1996; a similar image from the Alsford collection presented by Sotheby’s (NY 09/2001) |