The Aureole of Many Buddhas

Viewing notes

A viewer's written impression — not a buyer review or first-hand record

This wood-toned seated Buddha raises a hand in a seal. He sits in full lotus on a great lotus throne, right hand lifted at the chest, fingertips touching, the left on the knee, a swastika at his chest, his face full and smiling with lowered eyes. The lotus petals are thick, flaring outward, with a corner of drapery spilling across the seat. Behind him rises a tall pointed-arch aureole carved with rolling auspicious clouds; among them sit six small Buddhas, and one more sits above the centre beneath a shrine canopy — small figures ringing the main one like stars around the moon. Below stands a hexagonal plinth in stepped tiers, each carved with vines and landscape motifs, on curved cloud-head feet. The honeyed tone is warm and bright. It suits enshrinement at a shrine's principal place, and holds as the visual centre of a large space.