Standing Buddha Sakyamuni On Lotus Podium

Gilded bronze. Traces of polychromy and lacquer. Hollow cast.
The Buddha stands frontally upon the bud of a lotus, the petals supported by a hexagonal base. The
features are very benign, the hair piled high, the neck long, the draped robes covering both shoulders
hang in symmetrical cascading folds reminiscent of the famed Uddiyana imagery. The hands are extended to the two sides, the right hand with fingertips facing up, the left hand with fingertips facing down – in “fear-not” and “boon-bestowing” gestures. The verso has two entrances into the interior, a column of four Chinese characters in the metal with the inscription “made in the first year of Emperor
T’ai He” equivalent to the date 477 AD. One of a matching pair, with our item TB017, previously.
Northern Wei, China. Circa late 5th century AD.
Height: 46 cm. (18.1 inches).