Buddhas on Lotus Stands

CHINA

The 27 cm high sculpture is a replica of the 26.5 cm one, which is a 10th century Kashmiri work. The 27 cm one was created for the court of Emperor Qianlong (reigned 1736–1795) with inscriptions on the back in Chinese, Manchu, Mongolian, and Tibetan. It was dedicated in 1761 according to the inscription in Chinese. While the rich, full lines are typical features of the Kashmiri style, the greater amount of detail and more technically advanced craftsmanship are the fruit of later times.
A lotus stem that subdivides into seven branches extends from a plain pedestal in the Kashmiri piece, while there is decorative engraving on the Chinese piece. The features of the crowned Sakyamuni Buddhas on the central stem differ according to national origin but the details of clothing reflect the royal attire of the Central Asian courts in both. The Buddhas, wearing close fitting monastic robes with the right shoulder bared, are next in order. They make the karana (warding off evil) mudra with their left hands and the varada (wish-granting) mudra with the right hands. Two Bodhisattvas are below the Buddhas sitting in the relaxation posture with right hands raised in abhaya (fearlessness) mudra. The Bodhisattva on the left is identified as Maitreya by the stylized flame of wisdom rising from the head. The one on the right is Avalokitesvara, who has a long-stalked lotus in one hand and has an image of Amitabha Buddha on the head (far more clearly depicted in the Chinese version).
Stupas on the lowest two lotuses differ radically in form between the two versions. Smaller Buddhas sit at the foot of the lotus stem and two naga kings rise from the water from which the lotus grows. In the Kashmiri version the water is merely implied while in the Chinese it forms in lively waves.