A SILVER INLAID COPPER ALLOY FIGURE OF SHAKYAMUNI

SWAT VALLEY, 8TH/9TH CENTURY

Footnotes

斯瓦特 八/九世紀 銅錯銀釋迦牟尼像

Surviving with an attractive forest-green patina, this finely modeled sculpture is a classic Swat Valley rendition of Buddha Shakyamuni. Here, the historical Buddha sits on a rectangular throne, which is supported by two lions at the front corners and covered with a tasseled textile. The throne is elevated by a double-lotus pedestal resting on a larger square base. According to Pal, placing Shakyamuni on such a throne associates him with royal imagery and emphasizes his spiritual sovereignty, while the lotus base symbolizes his divine quality (Pal, Indian Sculpture, Vol.2, 1988, pp.68-9).

Shakyamuni's enlightened nature is further signaled by the silver-inlaid eyes and urna. Gently looking down with a compassionate expression, he extends his right hand in the gesture of charity. With his left, he holds the hem of his robe. The iconography of Shakyamuni holding his garment is widely employed in seated Swat figures, extending the idiom from earlier Gandharan stone images. Compare the throne, gestures, and the robe's evenly arranged narrow folds with that of a closely related example published in von Schroeder, Buddhist Sculptures in Tibet, Vol.I, 2001, pp.40-1, figs.6A-C. Also see Pal, Bronzes of Kashmir, 1975, pp.194-5, no.73.

Provenance:
Private Italian Collection