Figurine of Standing Buddha

NEPAL

This ivory figurine was made in Nepal during the 12th century. The Buddha is depicted with a high usnisa, a round face with slender eyes, and a delicate smile. In between the eyebrows there is a white urna. The earlobes are long, which is one of the marks of the Buddha. The head is inclined slightly forward. The blue hair suggests that this figurine may have been carved by a Nepalese craftsman in Tibet. The Buddha wears a light, tight-fitting robe, a corner of which is held in the right hand near the shoulder, while the left hand forms the varada (wish-granting) mudra. The Buddha stands on a lotus pedestal with a double-layered nimbus and mandorla, with flames on the outside of each.