TANG DYNASTY (AD 618-907)

The present figure of Buddha is seated in dhyanasana, with proper left hand resting on the corresponding knee, and right hand raised in vitarka mudra. This is a rare representation for figures of Buddha dating to this period as most of them are seen with abhaya mudra. For a similar gilt-bronze figure of seated Buddha with the same mudra, see The Crucible of Compassion and Wisdom- Special Exhibition Catalog of the Buddhist Bronzes from the Nitta Group Collection at the National Palace Museum, Taiwan, 1987, p. 173, plate 76. Another similar example but with bhumyakramana mudra and aureole, is in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, collection no. zengtong000169.

Compare to a larger gilt-bronze figure of seated Buddha with abhaya mudra, sold at Sotheby’s London, 4 November 2020, lot 148; and another figure of seated Buddha with a more elaborate drapery, sold at Sotheby’s New York, 23 March 2022, lot 292.