Provenance:
California Private Collection
Buddha is seated on a double-lotus throne with a vajra-scepter sunk horizontally into the seat before him, a reference to the time and location where the Buddha achieved enlightenment at Bodhgaya, India. He wears a monastic robe (sanghati) with wide hems of finely-incised floral meander bordered by beading and leaving his chest partially uncovered. He is seated in the dhyanasana pose with his hands in dhyana and bhumisparsa mudras, the latter referencing the moment of Buddha’s awakening as he claims the earth to witness his enlightenment.
His expression is one of benevolent calm with slightly smiling mouth, downcast eyes, arched eyebrows in relief, and a circular urna in relief on his forehead. His hair is arranged in rows of delicate, snail-shell curls with the domed usnisa supporting a bud-shaped jewel (cintamani).
