Seated in the classical posture associated with the moment immediately after the historical buddha achieved enlightenment, this image of Shakyamuni (formerly Prince Siddhartha Gautama) conveys the tremendous impact of his realizations. After a long period of deep meditation under a bodhi tree, he touches the earth with his proper-right hand and the earth shakes, bearing witness to this momentous occasion of awakening. Thereafter, he begins to deliver the Four Noble Truths and Buddhist Dharma (the body of teachings) and garners many disciples.

The present bronze image of Shakyamuni Buddha represents a fusion of early Indian iconography, Nepalese artistry, and a distinctly Tibetan style. Although the present figure is larger and later, it is useful to provide a comparison with a patently Tibetan bronze at the Metropolitan Museum of Art dated to the twelfth century (see fig. 1) — a period during which a distinctly Tibetan style was beginning to take shape. While the two figure’s face shapes differ slightly, stylistic similarities stand out, such as the eyebrows that nearly connect and directly meet the top of the nose bridge, which is noticeably aquiline in profile; the pursed and slightly upturned lips which match the width of the buddhas’ nostrils; and the round urna (a physical manifestation of perfected wisdom and compassion in the form of a tuft of hair protruding from the lower forehead). In the present, latter example, the spiral urna is rendered with a simplified circular protrusion.

It is evident that the zenith of Pala art (the Northeastern Indian empire which spanned from 750–1161 CE) and the widespread depiction of the bhumisparsha (earth-touching) image of the historical Buddha from that region significantly influenced the characteristics observed in Tibetan art of the Second Propogation period (circa 1000)—those which are clearly reflected in the Metropolitan Museum example. Thus, while the Metropolitan Museum example demonstrates the stylistically-Tibetan features of this fine cira-fourteenth-century gilt-bronze figure, material qualities such as the high-copper-content alloy and the lustrous gilding applied with mercury, and elaborate incised decoration filling the hem of the buddha’s robe distinguish it as a product that originated during the height of Newar/Nepalese influence on Tibetan artwork which coincided with the Early-Malla-period (1200-1482) in the Kathmandu Valley (see fig. 2).

In Tibet and other Tibetan Buddhist realms of Asia, the artistry of the Newar people–a society indigenous to the Kathmandu Valley with a distinct language and artistic traditions–garnered immense admiration from the thirteenth century onward. The Newars held a strategic position in overseeing the flow of trade commodities through caravans along the Indo-Tibetan border and to efficiently engage in commerce/artistic endeavors in Tibet, Newar households sent representatives to key urban centers like Lhasa, Shigatse, and Gyantse, where they would establish prolonged residencies. Many Tibetan artists in these regions were, therefore, trained by Newar artists.

Advancing into the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, during which Yuan patronage of Newar artistry in Tibet (1271-1368) catalyzed a massive proliferation of a new style of art throughout Tibet–notably at Sakya Monastery (patronized by the Yuan emperors from 1271-1368), where the primary sutra hall boasts some of the most substantial surviving examples of Newar artistry in Tibet. This style is also exemplified by the present bronze image of Shakyamuni Buddha.

Both the present figure and the Metropolitan Museum example exhibit a cintamani or ‘auspicious jewel’ atop the ushnisha (cranial protuberance, which is another lakshana or ‘mark of perfection’), yet the earlier example more closely resembles Indian prototypes as the symbol takes the form of a flame. The present example, rather, renders this essential lakshana as a simple rounded jewel atop the buddha’s cranial protuberance, closely resembling a 13th-century example at the aforementioned Sakya Monastery in central Tibet (see fig. 2; note that this sculpture has “cold gold” applied to the face obscuring the details of its prominent features).