Cast seated in dhyanasana upon a double lotus throne with beaded edges above and below, the petals of which have traces of red pigment, and the back with a reserved area with further traces of the same pigment, his right hand reaching down in the earth-touching bhumisparsha mudra, and his left hand held facing upward above his lap, he is clad in a plain robe with fine incised borders, draped over the left shoulder, and terminating in a ruffled flourish between his crossed legs, the right ankle highlighted with a circular point, the face with downcast eyes, a beak-like nose and upturned lips forming a gentle smile just above the indented chin, the urna inlaid with a turquoise bead, centering his forehead above the continuous brow which forms an arched V-shape, flanked by ears with elongated pierced lobes, the hair arranged in rows of tight curls and with traces of blue pigment, covering the ushnisha which is topped by a pointed finial, the figure is richly gilded overall, sealed with a copper plate engraved with a double vajra (visvavajra). Period: 15th/16th century. Height c. 22.3, width of the base 17.5 cm.

Provenance
From the private collection of the present owner's grandfather (1894-1976), Stockholm, Sweden.
Thence by descent within the family.

Siddhartha Gautama abandoned his royal life to seek deeper truth after encountering the ’four sights’ – old age, illness, death, and asceticism. He initially pursued extreme ascetic practices and intense meditation, but grew dissatisfied with these harsh methods. Parting ways with his fellow ascetics, he traveled across northern India until he arrived at the Bodhi tree beside the Phalgu River. There, he entered a state of deep meditation. Despite being confronted by demons and earthly temptations, he remained steadfast. In a defining moment, he lowered his right hand to touch the ground, calling upon the earth itself to bear witness to his awakening.

This iconic moment in the life of Siddharta Gautama, called Shakyamuni Buddha, is described in the Lalitavistara Sutra (The Play in Full), one of the most important Sanskrit Mahayana Buddhist sutras:

’[…] During the final station of night, just at the break of dawn, right at the time for the beating of the morning drum, the Bodhisattva – the being, the good being, the supreme being, the great being […] – reached unexcelled, perfect and complete awakening, attaining the threefold knowledge. He did so through knowledge that consists of one-pointed insight into everything that might be known, understood, attained, realised, and actualised via the wisdom of the noble ones.’ (Lalitavistara Sutra, 22.32, translated by the Dharmachakra Translation Committee)

The present figure of large size captures this momentous occasion, with the Buddha at the very brink of enlightenment. The artisan has depicted him in a near-perfect physical state, demonstrating a balance between muscularity and gracefulness. His broad shoulders and gently modeled limbs signal a departure from the emaciation of his earlier ascetic practices. Though rendered in human form, subtle features emphasise his transcendent nature: the cranial protuberance (ushnisha), symbolising spiritual awakening, and the raised point (urna) on his forehead, here adorned with a vivid turquoise bead, representing perfected wisdom. His hair is arranged in tightly coiled, high-relief curls, painted blue using ground lapis lazuli mixed with animal glue, reflecting traditional descriptions of the Buddha’s ’purplish-blue curled hair’. His elongated earlobes, stretched from the heavy ornaments he once wore as a prince, signify his renunciation of material wealth. No longer requiring jewels or elaborate attire, his spiritual stature speaks for itself.

Celebrating the triumph over evil and the attainment of liberation, this lavishly gilded figure stands as a stellar example of Himalayan Buddhist art. As a representation of Shakyamuni Buddha, it would serve as a defining highlight in any distinguished collection of Buddhist sculpture.