Buddha Shakyamuni

This sculpture of the historical Buddha shows him with characteristic lotus wheel marks on his hands and feet, wearing monastic dress, and performing the gesture of touching the earth, a reference to his enlightenment.

Artistic centers developed in a number of kingdoms along the Himalayan range, including the Khasa Malla kingdom of northwestern Nepal, to which this fine image of the Buddha can be attributed. The sculpture is sturdy and has a proportionally large head with a low forehead and broad shoulders. Characteristic of the Khasa Malla period are the beak-like nose and the downcast eyes widening at the sides. The details of his monastic robe, the ornamented hem across the chest and the tail end on the shoulder, are quite stylized. He wears upturned earrings inlaid with turquoise, an unusual feature of the Khasa Malla aesthetic.