Chinese Qing Fabulous bronze seated Shakyamuni Buddha. The founder of Buddhism, the Enlightened One, Sage of the Shakya Clan, seated in the Vajra posture which resembles meditation, and wisdom. Formal in appearance, the Buddha gazes forward with partially closed eyes and the blue-black hair on the head is piled in a tuft on top with a single gold ornament adorning the crown. Between the eyebrows is a white dot (urna) and adorning the neck are three curved horizontal lines. The earlobes are long and pierced. The Buddha is depicted with the right arm bare the right hand is extended across the knee in the earth touching gesture, extended to the earth in the Bhumispara Mudra, the gesture of witness. He is “calling the earth to witness” his supreme victory over the temptations and illusions of the material world as symbolized by the demon Mara. The left hand lies in his lap with palm upward in the gesture of meditation (Dhyana Mudra). Thus this posture is known as “Buddha Shakyamuni Conquering the Demons” and shows the moment of the Buddha’s full enlightenment under the Bodhi tree. A Buddhist term referring to a seated position where the feet are placed sole up on the thigh of the opposite leg; right over left. In the West this posture is almost universally referred to as the lotus posture. The legs are folded in vajra posture upon a double lotus throne. The underside revealed the separation of the Buddha and the throne. Bronze is in beautiful condition with minimal marring of the surface. This sculpture appears to be the perfect example, by any artistic tradition, both for technical precision and exquisite form. The proportions of the body are exact and the overall presence and beauty make this sculpture a precious artistic treasure.


Measurements: Height 12" Width: 9.75"

Lot Notes:

Shakyamuni (Chinese: Shih chia), the Historical Buddha, was born in the 6th century B.C. in Lumbini (present day Nepal), achieved enlightenment at the age of thirty five, and spent the remaining forty five years of his life preaching his doctrine of salvation to others. Shakyamuni refers to the last of the “seven Buddhas” (saptatathagata) as defined in the Dharma-saṃgraha. Sakayamuni in Sanskrit, Shakyamuni in Pali. The founder of Buddhism. He was born as the Prince of Sakyans, and was called Siddhartha Goutama. At the age of 35, he attained the supreme Enlightenment and became the Buddha and was the called Shakyamuni. The word means "capability and kindness". Sakyamuni :-One of the Thirty-five buddhas of confession, according to the Triskhandhadharmasutra (‘Sutra of the Three Heaps’), which is a Mahayana sutra. The sutra describes the practice of purifying the transgressions of vows (especially the Bodhisattva-vows), by making prostrations to these Buddhas. Shakyamuni Buddha, the historical Buddha, is not the first and only buddha. The buddha who will follow Shakyamuni in a future age and renew the dharma is Maitreya. Be­yond these, one finds indications in the litera­ture of thirteen further buddhas, of which the most important is Dipamkara, whose disci­ple Shakyamuni was in his previous existence as the ascetic Sumedha. The stories of these leg­endary buddhas are contained in the Buddhavamsa, a work from the Khuddaka­nikaya.