Polychrome Seated Shakyamuni Buddha

This large wooden figure depicts the Buddha Shakyamuni in perpetual meditation. Also known as Shaka or Siddhartha Gautama, the historical Buddha Shakyamuni is revered as a fully enlightened being and the source of all Buddhist teachings.

Hand-carved with a polychrome finish, the statue shows the Buddha seated in diamond position (vajrasana) with hands held in dhyana mudra, a gesture symbolizing meditative stillness and removed consciousness. This was the posture assumed by the Buddha as he sat in meditation beneath the Bodhi tree before his enlightenment.

Simple monk's robes drape across the legs and shoulders, elegantly carved with graceful folds. Although carved with unusual facial features for Chinese statuary, the figure nevertheless bears many characteristic features of the Buddha, such as elongated earlobes, signifying he is all-hearing, an ushnisha atop his head, signifying he is all-knowing, and an urna or third eye, signifying he is all-seeing.