The Buddha sits with his right hand in the earth-touching gesture ('bhumisparsha mudra'), an attribute of the Transcendental Buddha Akshobya, characteristically shown as strong, pensive and imperturbable. Around the base are brief inscriptions in Sanskrit, Mongolian and Tibetan, and in Chinese the reign mark of the Qianlong emperor. The image of the Buddha reflects the influence of the Sino-Tibetan tradition in later Chinese Buddhist art.
The Asian Collections, AGNSW, 2003, pg.98.