TIBET, 15TH-16TH CENTURY

Milarepa is depicted in his classic pose, holding his hand to his ear as if listening to the 'echoes of nature,' alluding to his gift as a singer and poet. Seated in lalitasana on a double-lotus base, holding a skull cup in his left hand and with his right hand raised to his ear, his face slightly tilted in a benign expression, the eyes and lips inlaid in silver, Milarepa dons a copper-inlaid yogic band across his right shoulder. The masterfully-inlaid metals of Eastern-Indian origin took a firm hold in Tibetan sculptural styles and remained popular through the sixteenth century.

Himalayan Art Resources (himalayanart.org), item no. 24472.