A silver-inlaid copper alloy figure of crowned Buddha, Swat valley, 8th - 9th century | 斯瓦特縣地區 八至九世紀 合金銅錯銀佛坐像

The Buddha wears jewelled earrings, beaded bracelets, and a three-panel crown, common attributes in early Kashmir and Swat sculpture identifying the Crowned Buddha, together with the robe covering both shoulders and falling in closely ribbed folds across the body, the right hand lowered in varadamudra, and the left raised and holding the hem of the robe. He is seated on a floral-patterned cushion atop a tiered throne draped with a semi-circular altar cloth, flanked by forward facing lions on a stylised rockwork base, also typical of early sculpture from the region. An antelope with curved horns is cast in relief at lower centre of the base. Compare the posture and hand gestures of a seventh or eighth century Swat Buddha in the British Museum, in John Siudmak, The Hindu-Buddhist Sculpture of Ancient Kashmir and its Influences, Brill, 2013, pl. 139, and see Suidmak’s description of early Swat bronzes that accords with this example, ibid, pp. 297-301. The British Museum example has two antelopes with similar curved horns and a dharmachakra, referring to the Buddha’s first sermon at the Sarnath deer park. Here, the single antelope makes the same but more cursory reference to the deer park sermon. The rockwork pedestal is common in bronzes of the period, seen for example in the renowned early eighth century Buddha and stupas in the Mr. and Mrs. John D. Rockefeller Collection at Asia Society, ibid, pl. 145. Compare the jewelled crown type with an early eighth century seated Buddha in Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, ibid, pl. 144.