Amber, Hand to Knee

Viewing notes

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

This small seated Buddha has the colour of amber throughout — a translucent golden yellow, warm and clear, as if light could pass through it. His hair is in snail curls over a high ushnisha, his earlobes long, his eyes lowered; he sits in full lotus on a double lotus pedestal. The right hand rests down over the knee, fingertips pointing to the ground, while the left lies open in his lap. The robe is slung over one shoulder, its folds spreading in watery ripples across the crossed legs and over the seat. Two tiers of rounded lotus petals hold the pose low and steady. There is no extra ornament; everything rests on the clarity of the colour and the flowing lines of the drapery. A figure made for close looking — on a desk, a tea table or in a small shrine niche, a daily companion in quiet devotion.