A GILT-BRONZE FIGURE OF THE MEDICINE BUDDHAWell cast with eyes downcast in meditative expression, seated in dhyanasana atop a double-lotus pedestal with Tibetan inscription on the reverse, with the right hand raised in abhayamudra , the left hand held gently in the lap in dhyanamudra , dressed in a long flowing robes detailed with draping folds and incised floral hems, with a prominent usnisha formed with tightly coiled curls, the lotus base incised with a Tibetan inscription. 24.5cm (9 6/8in) high. 銅鎏金藥師佛像 The Tibetan inscription incised at the base reads as follow: ༡ ༄། བདེ་གཤེགས་མཚན་ལེགས་ཡོངས་དྲག་དཔལ་ལ་ན་མོ།། Which may be translated as: 'Homage to the Thus-gone Supari¬kīrtita¬nāma¬dheyaśrī' Supari¬kīrtita¬nāma¬dheyaśrī is known as the Glorious Name Widely Renown. There seems to be two slightly different Tibetan spellings: mTshan legs par yongs bsgrags dpal and mTshan dpal shin tu yongs su grags pa . He figures among the Thirty-Five Buddhas of Confession, generally in the 28th position. The finely-cast figure depicts the Buddha reaching forward with his right hand to call the earth to witness his right to attain enlightenment. Rendered with exceptional elegance, this sculpture perfectly captures an idealised form of The Enlightened One. Furthermore, the well-proportioned body clad in a close-fitting garment with richly engraved seams shows a high artistic sensibility. The Buddha's tender expression is marked with large, doubled-eyelids beneath a slightly dipped brow that bears a central rounded urna . The Buddha's smile is delightful; modelled in high-relief, the corners of his lips are playfully upturned. His neck is marked with three concentric lines reminiscent of the beauty of a conch shell, as per iconographic prescriptions in early Buddhist scripture. The webbed-hands are cast with naturalism. The form-fitting patchwork robe is chased with fine patterns. The artist has achieved his harmonious image with consummate attention to detail. The cult of the Medicine Buddha started in Northern India before spreading to the Himalayas, East Asia, and Southeast Asia. He is widely wored in both Vajrayana and Mahayana Buddhism to assist practitioners in oveing physical, mental, and spiritual sickness, and to purify karmic debt. According to the Bhaisajyaguru sutra , he resides in the Eastern Pure Land of Vaiduryanirbhasa, The drapery and style are reminiscent of those worn by a 15th century Tibetan gilt-bronze figure of the Tathagata Aksobhya seated in front of a vajra , illustrated in On the Path to Enlightenment: The Berti Aschmann Foundation of Tibetan Art at the Museum Rietberg Zurich , Zurich, 1995, p.72, no.30. See a related gilt-bronze figure of Buddha Shakyamuni, 15th century, which was sold at Sotheby's New York, 22 March 2018, lot 1037.