
Gilt copper alloy
The Buddha stands with the hip swayed to one side. The right hand is in varada (wish-granting) mudra and a lotus is visible in the center of the palm. The left hand is raised to adjust the monastic robe that is so translucent that only the hemline indicates its presence. The robe falls down the back and terminates in ruffles at the bottom. The back of the statue is plain and flat, and a square hole just below the neck suggests that a nimbus was once attached there. The sculpture’s origin is unclear. Traces of azurite found on the hair could make it Tibetan, but the style of the robe is Nepalese.
For more details, go to the Encyclopedia of Buddhist Arts: Sculpture N-Sr, page 922.