Buddha Holding a Pagoda

Viewing notes

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

This golden standing Buddha rises on a hexagonal lotus pedestal, and the pointed, leaf-shaped aureole behind him contains a whole miniature world. His snail-curl hair is sapphire blue with a red bead on the ushnisha; his right arm hangs naturally down, palm turned outward, while his left hand holds a small, finely tiered pagoda at his chest. The drapery falls softly the whole length of the body, but the aureole is filled in deep relief with cloud scrolls and tendrils, among which several small seated emanation Buddhas are scattered, while two little dragons crouch and peer at the lower corners; the aureole's inner layer is backed in vermilion, answering the body's gold in a warm, glowing counterpoint. The square base below the lotus has beast heads at its corners. Serene of face and gentle of gesture, enshrined he rewards telling — the pagoda and the lowered palm both carry their meaning — and set on a desk or a side table, the interplay of gold and red makes a scene of its own.