Religious Figure / Historical Buddha

A wooden figure of Gautama or the Historical Buddha seated in a meditational pose. The base is carved separately from the figure and both the figure and the base seem to have been sawn across the legs at some stage. This has resulted in the loss of the left arm, the right arm (in bhumispharsha mudra) is still in place, but loose. The figure's robes are decorated with a dark brown lacquer under which are flowers painted in gold. The base has a cavity that has been sealed and covered with a piece of silk in 'rainbow' colours. The silk is loose and fragile.