Hand-Painted Vietnam White Marble Buddha in Vitarka Mudra on Lotus Base, 24in

The Buddha teaching

The Buddha sits cross-legged with his right hand raised at the chest, the thumb and forefinger meeting in a circle. This is vitarka mudra, the gesture of explaining the teaching, and it marks the Buddha as a teacher rather than a figure lost in meditation. His left hand rests open in his lap. The eyes are lowered and the face is quiet, with a slight smile.

The robe is draped over the left shoulder and leaves the right shoulder bare, in the classic Indian manner.

The painting

The statue is carved from Vietnam white marble, polished, and painted by hand. The tight curls of the hair and the rounded ushnisha on top are painted gold. The robe is scattered with small gold flowers and gold dots, with a gold border along its edge, so it reads as a patterned cloth against the bare white skin. The brows are lined in gold, the lips are pink, and there is a small urna on the forehead.

He sits on a two-tier lotus base whose carved petals are tinted pink, finished with a thin blue line along the plinth.

Size, and where it suits

The statue is 24 inches tall. At two feet the Buddha suits a meditation room, a reading corner, a living room console or a yoga studio, where the white stone and soft colour sit easily in a modern interior. Painted surfaces are best cleaned with a soft dry cloth. Exact width, depth and weight are confirmed before dispatch.

About the picture on this page

The photograph is of this exact statue. It was taken against a black studio cloth, and that background has been replaced with a plain one. The statue and its painting have not been altered or redrawn.

Who made it

It was carved and painted by the artisans we work with in India. We handle the enquiry, the checks before dispatch, the packing and the shipping to you.