A BRONZE GROUP OF PADMAPANI AND TWO ATTENDANTS

Pala style
12th century
North East India

The Bodhisattva sits in lila asana upon a double lotus throne - his right hand stretched out in the bestowing gesture, or varada mudra; his left hand holds a lotus stem, which flowers above his shoulder, and another blossoms above his right shoulder. He wears a simple patterned dhoti around his waist and legs, the sacred cord hanging down from his left shoulder across his right thigh. A necklace, ankle, wrist and arm bracelets adorn his body, and a crown rests on his forehead, below a typically high tiered Pala hairstyle. Padmapani is flanked on the left and right by attendants who are seated on single lotus bases - and supported by scrolling leaves; these emanate from a central stem that supports the Bodhisattva, and rise from a circular domed base, cast with further scrolling leaves.

Height: 11.5 cm / 4 ½”