STATUETTE DU BOUDDHA SHAKYAMUNI EN ALLIAGE DE CUIVRE DORÉTIBET OU NÉPAL, XIIIE/XIVE SIÈCLEHimalayan Art Resources item no. 488812.7 cm (5 in.) highProvenance: A GILT COPPER ALLOY FIGURE OF SHAKYAMUNI BUDDHATIBET OR NEPAL, 13TH/14TH CENTURY西藏或尼泊爾 十三/十四世紀 銅鎏金釋迦牟尼像Provenance:With Claude de Marteau, Brussels, by 1970sWith downward casting eyes in deep meditation and his right hand extended forward in the earth-witnessing gesture (bhumisparsha mudra), this gilt bronze of the Buddha Shakyamuni illustrates the seminal moment of his enlightenment and subsequent triumph over the demon king Mara at Bodh Gaya.In this unique sculpture, the artist cleverly alludes to Shakyamuni's immovable and unbreakable force of will by adding a cushion—or adamantine seat (vajrasana)—inset with semi-precious gemstones cut into the shape of diamonds. Decoration of this typees from northeast Indian bronzes during the Pala period, with inset patternsparable to a group of 10th century Tathagatas in the Beijing Palace Museum, published inThe Light of the Buddha: Buddhist Sculptures of the Palace Museum and Zhiguan Museum of Fine Art, 2019, pp.168-185, nos. 35-39), as well as another set of four Tathagathas in the Potala Palace, published in von Schroeder,Buddhist Sculptures in Tibet, Vol. I, 2001, pp. 250-9, nos. 78-81). This decoration also appears on the crown band of the Nepalese Tara from the Zimmerman Family Collection, sold at , New York, 21 March 2023, lot 513.This awareness of Indian motifs, in addition to the Buddha's wide forehead, broad upper torso, and a fitting to attach aprabhamandala behind the base reflects the skilled hand of a Newari craftsmen from the Early Malla period (1200-1482). However, the Buddha's relatively tallerushnisha topped by a wish-granting jewel (chintamani), the lack of wear to the gilding, and the preference for lapis lazuli and turquoise insets indicate that this bronze was made with a Tibetan patron in mind. As such, given the merging of Indian, Nepalese, and Tibetan styles, it is appropriate to assign this bronze to a Nepalese workshop in Tibet, considering the present lot's striking physique and physiognomy to that of a crowned Buddha image from the Philip Goldman Collection, sold at Sotheby's, New York, 21 March 2002, lot 50. Furthermore, the delicately incised treatment given to each individual lotus petal indicates a possible attribution to Densatil monastery, which was known for incorporating both Indian and Nepalese decorative elements into their lavishly inset gilt bronzes. If so, the figure's smaller scale suggests that it was placed within a private chapel and was made for a high-ranking lama as their personal image. See a Densatil image of Vajravidarana that shares this lotus petal type from the Claude de Marteau Collection, Part I, sold at , Paris, 4 October 2022, lot 11.