The statue depicts Maitreya, who is regarded in Buddhist iconography as the future Buddha.
He is seated frontally on a throne and wears the crown and full ornaments of a bodhisattva. His feet rest on a small lotus base in bhadrasana. The hands are raised before the chest in dharmachakra mudra, the gesture of setting the Wheel of the Teaching in motion. Two lotus blossoms appear beside the shoulders, their stems held by the hands.
Behind the figure rises a torana, a curved structure with mythical beings, floral forms, and carefully worked ornamental details, set into the throne. Above the figure hovers a small, decorated parasol; a drop-shaped crystal is set at its apex. These elements form a framing traditionally used in representations of high-ranking bodhisattvas.
The garment, throne, and parasol are decorated with finely executed filigree. Wires are formed into spirals, their inner fields filled with small arched elements and combined into a continuous ornamental pattern. Set colored stones accentuate the filigree surfaces. The torana in the background is cast and subsequently chiselled; it shows an ornamentally worked relief surface and is gilded and partially color finished.
The depiction combines iconographic clarity with carefully executed ornamentation, bringing figure and torana into a calm, cohesive sculptural order.
Copper statue, traditional lost-wax cast, decorated with fine filigree, gold- and silver-plated, set with colored stones. The face is set in gold. The background is cast in copper, gold-plated. The work is patinated. Handcrafted in Nepal.
NOTE
The face painting is a cold gold application and water-soluble.
Yala Craft by Shanta is an Asian company based in Germany. I sell my traditional Buddhist sculpture art, created in my own workshop in Nepal.