Nepalese Seated Figure of Buddha

Six inches of silver in complete stillness, with a single red stone at the brow.

This seated figure of Buddha comes from the Kathmandu Valley, Nepal, and is a contemporary work of lost wax cast silver and jewels. Lost wax casting, in which a wax model is melted out of a clay mold to make way for the metal, has been practiced by artists of the valley for centuries. Dense scrollwork fills the robe, and the hands rest one over the other in his lap. On the rounded throne below, a small figure raises both arms overhead. It stands 6.25 inches high.

He looks down. Whatever he sees, it does not trouble him.