Pensive Maitreya Miroku Bosatsu Kamakura Style Gilt Bronze Buddha Statue 19"H 彌勒菩薩

Antique Japanese Gilt Bronze Statue
Maitreya Buddha 彌勒菩薩
Miroku Bosatsu in Pensive Gesture
Attributed to 19th Century or earlier
H 18.5 in. (47 cm), W 8 in. (20 cm), D 8 in. (20 cm)
Net weight 14 lbs. Aged Condition!

Maitreya, the Future Buddha, whose name in Sanskrit means “Loving Kindness”. Along with Gautama Buddha, he was the most celebrated figure of the Gandhara art in the first century. Here this Maitreya is elaborated with a sumptuous crown of five-leaves arrayed in a patulous floral design, and situated in the center is a small Buddha standing in prayer. In contrast, the drapery folds of this statue are noticeably plain, a stylistic refinement indicated to a later date, tentatively towards the brief renaissance in the Kamakura period (1192-1333), when the reconstruction of the Kofukuji temple initiated a flood of creation for Buddhist art. The aged bronze figure and pedestal were cast in one piece. It has a recent excavated long-buried appearance, with original finishing flaked off in irregular patterns, leaving a mottled shading of old lacquer with patches of gold highlights, while some surfaces appear burnished from touching, the superb gilding on the face of Maitreya remains well preserved. For the absence of a Thermoluminescence test, the statue is to be sold as a 19th-century bronze or earlier.