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Lot Essay
The present figure of Maitreya is an iconic example of late Nepalese sculptural tradition. The hems of the dhoti and the sash draped over the waist are elaborately incised with a scrolling foliate motif, while the jewelry and crown is in an organic lotiform design that mirrors the lotuses that bloom at the shoulders.
In the later Malla period, from the sixteenth through eighteenth centuries, the rulers of the three kingdoms of the Kathmandu Valley engaged in an extensive construction program to compete with their neighbors. As their central squares increasingly filled with temples and palaces, the demand for religious images reached epic proportions. To meet that demand, the artisans of the Kathmandu Valley turned to the repoussé technique, which was faster and more material-conscious than bronze casting. In the repoussé technique, thin sheets of metal are beaten over molds and then pieced together to form a three-dimensional image. While many were in simple copper, polished to imitate gilding, the most important works, including the present work, were richly gilded.
Himalayan Art Resources (himalayanart.org), item no. 24502.
In the later Malla period, from the sixteenth through eighteenth centuries, the rulers of the three kingdoms of the Kathmandu Valley engaged in an extensive construction program to compete with their neighbors. As their central squares increasingly filled with temples and palaces, the demand for religious images reached epic proportions. To meet that demand, the artisans of the Kathmandu Valley turned to the repoussé technique, which was faster and more material-conscious than bronze casting. In the repoussé technique, thin sheets of metal are beaten over molds and then pieced together to form a three-dimensional image. While many were in simple copper, polished to imitate gilding, the most important works, including the present work, were richly gilded.
Himalayan Art Resources (himalayanart.org), item no. 24502.