The Healing Buddha With The Majestic Crown - Tibetan Buddhist Deity (Made In Nepal)

$440
To gaze upon this form of the Buddha is a healing ritual in itself. Known as Bhaishajyaguru, which translates to master of remedies, He is the very picture of Tibetan Buddhism's rich medicinal tradition. The root of all human disease is a denial of the true nature of self; in this light external plants and medications offer limited remedies. Only a deep transcendent attempt at meditation into the human condition could restore harmony in place of suffering, and the popularly known Medicine Buddha is steeped in exactly that. His beauteous form is bedecked with shringar fit for a celestial being. Gosammer robes reveal the supple silhouette of His limbs; a layered necklace brings out the aesthetic appeal of His gently narrowing torso; and chunky karnaphool indicative of His divine wisdom reach down to His shoulders. The poorna padmasana and the ornate crown add to the ethereal majesticity of the composition.

Nepal is known for its alluring copper sculptures, an elite medium from the point of view of pure workmanship. The skill involved is largely endemic, and a great variety of Buddhist visualisation aids are fashioned by local artisans every year. The Healing Buddha, the "complete spiritual apothecary", lets one discover the healing force within. In His right hand He holds a chubulic myrobalan twig that is considered the king of Tibetan herbs, a necessary ingredient for every compound expounded in The Four medical Tantras (Gyushi). It is turned outward as though in blessing. The right hand on His lap contains the quintessential thrice-mixed potion: it is composed of the disease- and death-defying nectar, the anti-ageing nectar, and the supreme nectar for spiritual illumination. While Bhaishajyaguru in His mandala is usually seated on a throne supported by snow-lions, this sculpture comes with an atypical dual-layered lotus pedestal with flawlessly sculpted petals running around the whole of the circumference.

The Healing Buddha, like all forms of art, is a meditational aid. The Tibetans say that eons ago the Buddha emanated as Bhaishajyaguru and established the medical tradition in the texts namely The Four Tantras Of Secret Instructions On The Eight Branches Of The Essence Of Immortality (Gyushi). It is believed that one's body has the innate capacity to heal itself from any and every ailment. To every herb or plant or remedy expounded in these texts, there is a counterpart that exists within the subtle essences of the human body.

Item Code: ZDZ66
Specifications:
Copper Sculpture
Height: 10 inch
Width: 7.7 inch
Depth: 5.5 inch
Weight: 2.48 kg
Handmade
Handmade
Free delivery
Free delivery
Fully insured
Fully insured
Shipped to 153 countries
Shipped to 153 countries
More than 1M+ customers worldwide
More than 1M+ customers worldwide

How are Nepalese copper statues made?

Nepalese statues and sculptures are best known for their unique small religious figures and ritual paraphernalia for over two thousand years. These are mainly cast in copper alloy. Nepal draws influences from the artistic styles of Buddhism and Hinduism, and therefore the sculptors of the country specialize in making the icons of both these religions. Over the years, Nepalese sculptures evolved into their own distinctive iconography. Some characteristic features of these sculptures that differ from other pieces are exaggerated physical postures, youthful and sensual features, languid eyes, wider faces having serene expressions, and ornate flourishes. The Buddhist deity icons of Nepal have tremendous demand in countries such as China and Tibet for ritual purposes in their temples and monasteries.

Nepalese statues and sculptures have a high copper content and therefore develop a slightly reddish patina on the surface as they age. However, the most unique feature of Nepalese copper statues is their decorative detailing. The pieces are heavily gilded and sometimes inlaid with semi-precious stones. This embellishment protects them from getting tarnished. The traditional lost-wax method for casting Nepalese copper statues remains the most practiced technique in Nepal for many centuries. This process involves many steps and requires skilled artists.

The first step in lost-wax sculpting is to make a wax replica of the desired Buddhist deity to be cast in copper. This replica is created by hand and therefore needs excellent artistic skills otherwise fine features will be lacking.

Once the wax replica is made, it is then coated with a special mixture of clay with a brush. This layer of clay is hardened when left to dry. A small hole is made on the base of the wax mould so that the wax flows away when it is heated.
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At this stage, a hollow mould in the shape of the deity is obtained.

This is the time to pour liquid copper into the hollow mould which is then allowed to cool and harden inside a container of cold water. When the liquid metal has hardened, the mould is removed and the statue within is revealed.
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The artist works on the details of the statue using various tools. It is then polished to get a shiny and lustrous surface.

Now comes the most important part of Nepalese art which is gold gilding. This is done by the traditional fire gilding method. A mixture of mercury and 18K gold is applied on the surface of the statue and heat is applied using a flame torch. The result is that mercury evaporates along with impurities, leaving a pure 24K gold finish.
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The lost-wax method of sculpting is the most preferred technique

for artists to cast a metallic statue having intricate details. Since Nepalese copper sculptures require extraneous effort for giving a majestic look by adding special embellishments, it takes several weeks to complete one masterpiece. A 24K gold gilded copper sculpture retains its brilliant luster for many years and appears as like before. Nepalese sculptures continue to remain one of the finest specimens of the art of the East that have a strong aesthetic appeal that other sculptures cannot match.
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