This Cambodian hand carved Buddha is seated on a lotus pedestal in the gesture of 'earth touching' or 'earth witness' also known as Bhumisparsha Mudra. This gesture is performed by extending the right hand downwards to touch the ground with its fingertips. It symbolizes the precise moment when the awakening Buddha, Shakyamuni, vanquished the army of Mara beneath the bodhi tree and summoned the goddess of the earth, Sthavara, to bear witness to his countless acts of sacrifice. Shakyamuni Buddha is commonly represented upon his enlightenment throne with his right hand touching the earth, and his left hand resting upon his lap in the gesture of meditation. This symbolizes the union of his method or skillful means in overcoming Mara (right hand), through the perfect wisdom of his deep mediation upon emptiness (left hand). The earth touching gesture is also the mudra of Akshobya, the 'Unshakable' blue Buddha of the center or eastern direction.
The features of this Buddha’s face are precise and well executed. The eyebrows are rendered by a pronounced arched line. The 
almond-shaped eyes are finely outlined. Fine curls cover Lord Buddha's head and his elongated earlobes reflect his royal origins.
This sculpture is entirely hand-crafted and painted in rural villages in Cambodia. Every piece is truly unique!
Soon after Shakyamuni Buddha obtained enlightenment the Four Great Guardian Kings of the four directions each presented him with an alms-bowl, the most beautiful of which was made with precious gems, and the simplest from common stone or clay. Shakyamuni was said to have chosen the plainest bowl that was sufficient for the needs of a humble mendicant.
The traditional alms-bowl of a Buddhist monk or bhikshu is shaped like the inverted ushnisha of the Buddha, a symbol of the highest attainment of Buddhahood, as the wisdom that directly realizes emptiness. The alms-bowl is generally held in the left 'wisdom' hand of Buddhas and their disciples, the sangha. This winter Buddha stands on a single lotus base.
This sculpture is entirely hand-crafted and painted in rural villages in Cambodia. Every piece is truly unique!
About Wood Lacquering & Gilding: The artisans begin this process by sizing the wood, before applying colours made with natural pigments. The pieces can be adorned with copper or gold leaf gilding. Pieces that are glossy are sanded and polished in order to give them their glossy finish. Some pieces may be lacquered, smoothed and then varnished. 
This Buddha sculpture is shown in Parinirvana. In Buddhism, Parinirvana is the final nirvana, usually within reach only upon the death of the body of someone who has attained complete awakening or bodhi. It is the ultimate goal of Buddhist practice and implies a release from the cycle of deaths and rebirths as well as the dissolution of all worldly physical and mental aggregates or skandhas (perception or consciousness).
This sculpture is entirely hand-crafted and painted in rural villages in Cambodia. Every piece is truly unique!
About Wood Lacquering & Gilding: The artisans begin this process by sizing the wood, before applying colours made with natural pigments. The pieces can be adorned with copper or gold leaf gilding. Pieces that are glossy are sanded and polished in order to give them their glossy finish. Some pieces may be lacquered, smoothed and then varnished.
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