Bronze gilded Buddha statue

[Bronze Gilded Buddha of Sakyamuni]

Bronze Gilded Buddha of Sakyamuni, the 17th year of Taihe in the Northern Wei Dynasty (493), 11.8 cm high
The main statue is Sakyamuni Buddha, with a high bun, a slightly long face, clear eyebrows and eyes, and drooping ears. He is wearing a half-draped cassock on his right shoulder, with a monk leaning inside. The cassocks are finely textured and carved in several arcs. The Buddha raised his right hand to make a fearless seal, and held a corner of the cassock in his left hand. He sat on the back of the second dharma guard lion with his hands folded, which meant to subdue the evil and eliminate the terror. On both sides, there is a kneeling and crouching posture offering Bodhisattva with both hands in one, devoutly worshipping the Buddha on the left and right. The back of the Buddha is a double-layer lotus petal-shaped backlight. The backlight is decorated with a raised line carved flame pattern, and the top is carved into the shape of a willow branch. The rectangular summitsu is set under the two dharma lions, with lotus patterns on both sides of the front and back under the seat waist, and the seat base is a short four-legged bed. The front of the bed is carved with a Boshan stove, and the two sides are carved with a lotus bud offering figure. The side and back are engraved with the inscription “Taihe 17/June/10/year,/Buddha brother/son □/Spring in distress/year, etc./Sakyamuni/Muni/like a body”. The back of the Buddha statue is carved with a sitting Buddha
The statue is a combination of seats, and its shape is simple and elegant. It is one of the Buddha statues in the early gilded bronze Buddha system. This image system was popular in the second half of the fifth century and the early sixth century, especially in the eastern part of the Central Plains from Dingzhou to Datong. The cassock of the statue’s master still follows the form of the early grotto statue.