General Information:

In this piece titled Seated Buddha Vairocana, Vairocana is the celestial Buddha who lives at the center of the cosmos. This figure is known to this Buddha due to the position of his hands. Vairocana is thought to be the transcendent form of Buddha Shakyamuni, the difference being that Vairocana exists on another plane of being, without the burden of a corporeal form. This sculpture was made from bronze that was later gilded.

Eli’s Observations: 

This piece seems to have very minimal weathering due to time. The detailing from his garment to his hair is still very easy to see, the only damages are places where the gold plating has been slightly scratch off over time, but this piece is still in amazing quality. The base of the statue has become green due to the aging of the gilt bronze. Due to bronze containing copper, when oxidation occurs patina begins to form giving the bronze that green appearance. One really well known example of this reaction is on The Statue of Liberty in the US. On this statue, however, the amount of patina forming is very low. The only places that contain this greenish hue are the hair, the base and the rings or areas on the back.