A GILT BRONZE FIGURE OF BUDDHA SHAKYAMUNI, 15TH CENTURY Nepal. Seated in dhyanasana on a double-lotus base with beaded edges, his right hand lowered in bhumisparsamudra with the vajra resting before him, the left held above his lap holding a turquoise-inlaid Three Jewels emblem, clad in a diaphanous sanghati with the folds elegantly piled beneath the ankles, the beaded hems incised with wavy lines, the face with elongated eyes flanked by pendulous earlobes and surmounted by a prominent ushnisha.

Provenance: Leonardo Vigorelli, acquired in the Hong Kong trade during the late 1990s. Leonardo Vigorelli is a retired Italian art dealer and noted collector, specializing in African and ancient Hindu-Buddhist art. After studying anthropology and decades of travel as well as extensive field research in India, the Himalayan region, Southeast Asia, and Africa, he founded the Dalton Somaré art gallery in Milan, Italy, which today is being run by his two sons.
Condition: Very good condition, some wear, particularly to gilt, minor nicks, surface scratches, small dents, the inlays possibly later replacements. The base resealed.

Weight: 1,088 g
Dimensions: Height 18.5 cm

Auction result comparison: Compare a closely related gilt bronze figure of Buddha Shakyamuni, 11.7 cm high, also dated to the 15^th century, at Christie’s New York in Indian & Southeast Asian Art on 12 September 2012, lot 549, sold for USD 15,000.

十五世紀銅鎏金釋迦牟尼坐蓮像
尼泊爾。釋迦牟尼坐於帶珠邊的雙層蓮花座上，右手垂下施觸地印，金剛杵置於身前，左手舉於膝上，手持綠松石鑲嵌的三寶徽記，天衣褶皺紋路優雅流暢。表情安詳，眼睛細長，雙眉之間為白毫，兩側是長耳垂。

來源：Leonardo Vigorelli收藏，上世紀九十年代購於香港。Leonardo Vigorelli是一位退休的義大利藝術品經銷商和著名收藏家，專門研究非洲和古代印度佛教藝術。在學習人類學並數十年在印度、喜馬拉雅地區、東南亞和非洲旅行，進行實地研究之後，他在意大利米蘭創立了 Dalton Somaré 藝術畫廊，如今由他的兩個兒子經營。
品相：狀況極好，有些磨損，尤其是鎏金，輕微劃痕、小凹痕，鑲嵌物可能曾經更換過。底座重新密封過。

重量：1,088 克
尺寸：高18.5 厘米

拍賣結果比較：比較一件十分相近的十五世紀釋迦牟尼銅鎏金造像，高 11.7 厘米，見紐約佳士得Indian & Southeast Asian Art 2012年9月12日 lot 549, 售價USD 15,000。