David U.

Mearto specialist

Dear Frans, I’m glad that you chose Mearto for your online appraisal. 
 Considering the photos, this item is: A sitting Tibetan Buddha statue (33x31 inches). In the head there is the Ushnisha and the pose is Bhumisparsha Mudra. These Buddha statues can represent teaching, meditation, or an attempt to reach enlightenment. It is more commonly known as the 'earth witness' mudra. This mudra, formed with all five fingers of the right hand extended to touch the ground, symbolizes the Buddha's enlightenment under the bodhi tree, when he summoned the earth goddess, Sthavara, to bear witness to his attainment of enlightenment. The right hand, placed upon the right knee in earth-pressing mudra, and complemented by the left hand-which is held flat in the lap in the dhyana mudra of meditation, symbolizes the union of method and wisdom, samasara and nirvana, and also the realizations of the conventional and ultimate truths. It is not signed and it looks from early 18th century, and made out of bronze, presumably. PROVENANCE: Inherited. $ 650 - 950 *represents a fair-market value for auction purposes; retail or asking price may vary.