29. STATUETTE DU BOUDDHA SHAKYAMUNI EN ALLIAGE DE CUIVRE DORÉ TIBET OU NÉPAL, XIIIE/XIVE SIÈCLE Himalayan Art Resources item no. 4888 12.7 cm (5 in.) high A GILT COPPER ALLOY FIGURE OF SHAKYAMUNI BUDDHA TIBET 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 1970s With 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 type comes from northeast Indian bronzes during the Pala period, with inset patterns comparable to a group of 10th century Tathagatas in the Beijing Palace Museum, published in The 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 Bonhams, 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 a prabhamandala behind the base reflects the skilled hand of a Newari craftsmen from the Early Malla period (1200-1482). However, the Buddha's relatively taller ushnisha 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 Bonhams, Paris, 4 October 2022, lot 11.