작품 상세

A RARE GILT-BRONZE HAND OF BUDDHA, 13TH–14TH CENTURY Cast in solid bronze and richly gilded, this finely modelled hand of the Buddha possesses an arresting sculptural presence, its poised gesture at once serene and commanding. The palm is held open in a refined, naturalistic curve, the fingers gracefully tapered and subtly flexed, conveying both spiritual assurance and elegant anatomical sensitivity. The warm, softly burnished gilding, now gently worn in places, lends the surface a luminous depth, accentuating the rounded volumes and the quiet authority of the form. The palm bears an incised dharmachakra motif within a geometric cartouche, its crisp linearity contrasting with the supple modelling of the flesh. The wrist is encircled by a neatly defined bracelet, above which the forearm is ornamented with delicately chased panels of scrolling foliage and lotus blossoms framed within beaded and ribbed borders. The ornamental scheme, executed with measured precision, balances rhythmic repetition with restrained ornament, suggesting the refinement of a mature workshop tradition. The gilded surface, subtly variegated by age, enhances the interplay of light across the raised decoration and the gently swelling contours of the limb. The gesture represented here is most closely associated with the abhaya mudra, the sign of reassurance and protection, in which the raised hand signifies the dispelling of fear and the granting of divine blessing. Such hands were originally part of monumental cult images, either free-standing or installed within temple sanctuaries, where the extended palm formed a direct and intimate point of engagement between the deity and the devotee. The careful finishing of the wrist and forearm, together with the hollowed interior and apertures for attachment, indicate that this fragment once belonged to a larger, fully realised image of the Buddha, conceived on an impressive scale. In the Buddhist visual tradition, the hand functions not merely as a naturalistic detail but as a potent vehicle of meaning. The inscribed wheel on the palm alludes to the turning of the Wheel of the Law, a central metaphor for the Buddha’s first sermon and the transmission of doctrine. During the 13th and 14th centuries, such gilt-bronze images flourished across important centres of Buddhist production, where technical mastery in casting and gilding was matched by an increasingly sophisticated iconographic vocabulary. The harmonious integration of gesture, ornament and symbolic mark seen here reflects a deeply rooted devotional aesthetic, in which spiritual presence was made manifest through idealised form. This rare surviving hand, both fragmentary and complete in its expressive power, encapsulates the devotional intensity and technical accomplishment of late medieval Buddhist bronze casting, its poised gesture continuing to convey the timeless assurance of the Enlightened One. Length: 29 cm Weight: 1.25 kg Provenance: Property of a Distinguished Hong Kong Collection, formed between the 1980s - 2020's