Guhari Amida seated atop a lotus

The Amida Buddha, from the Japanese version of the Sanskrit Amitābha (Infinite Light), presides over the Western Paradise and is the central deity of the Pure Land school of Buddhism. He is shown here in the lotus position (padmāsana) with his hands resting on his lap in a posture of meditation and concentration (samādhimudrā). He is seated on a lotus flower supported by a stem that emerges from a body of water surrounded by a corolla of lotus petals. At the base of this stem is a vajra (thunder bolt-diamond), an Indo-Tibetan Tantric Buddhist symbol adopted by Japanese esoteric Buddhism.
The height of the statue alone is about 40 cm: it rests on the lotus seat, joined to the stem, which inserts into the base. The large mandorla is joined to the lotus seat by a tenon behind the statue. Other non-removable elements are the vajra inserted into the shaft and resting on the base, the crown and the necklace. Guhari (purple) represents the esoteric appearance of the Amida Buddha, who wears a tiara on his head.
According to Nagel’s preliminary purchase offer, the work comes from the Roland Do Hu private collection in Paris. The base and mandorla appear to be from a later period than the statue.