Unknown Asian Statue
This statuesque idol looking Asian item has been behind a glass bookcase door for many years. He is about 7inches tall in the lotus tree osition with a gem shape in his hand.
Very little. We don’t even know if it is a Buddha.
Inherited
Yes
Thank you for contacting Mearto. This a sculpture of the Buddha. He sits in full lotus position on a raised dais. His hands are in Vitarka mudra, the “gesture of debate” or the “discussion mudra.” He has elongated ears, snail-curl hair and a halo. The symbol on his palm could be a stylized lotus flower.
The figure’s elongated earlobes are related to the life story of the Buddha, Siddartha Gautama. He was born into a wealthy family, and wore heavy jewelry. When he gave up his worldly possessions, his earlobes remained stretched, and served as a reminder of his rejection of material belongings. The 108 snails on Buddga’s head are related to a legend about being deep in meditation and not noticing them.
From the photographs, it looks like the material is ivory. You can do some tests to see if it is bone or resin instead. Here is a link to more information:
https://www.realorrepro.com/article/Ivory-genuine-fake--confusing
Contingent on the ivory being authentic, the Fair Market Value of this sculpture is between $400 and $600. If the material is bone, the price would be about the same. If the material is resin, the price would be lower, somewhere between $50 and $75.
