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About 20 years ago my parents brought this statue from Nepal. They bought it at an antique shop and it was being said that it was app. 60 years old, coming from Tibet. I would like to get this verified. Is it an authentic piece, e.g. used in a monastery, or is it a 'mass production tourist thing'? It is about 30 cm high and quite heavy, about 5 kg. The position is quite remarkable; most statues have Buddhas in lotus position. It is iron I think, heavily oxidized. It has a little hole on the back; maybe this has to do with the way it has been produced? When I turn it upside down, I looks like it is filled with some kind of concrete..? Maybe it has been buried in the ground? It would be great if anyone can tell me more about how it is made, what kind of Buddha it is and how old it may be.

The statue you have is probably Buddha Maitreya, The Buddha of the future, usually shown seated on a throne setting and hand positions like this. The patina on the metal looks like bronze - check it with a magnet - if it sticks, its iron, if it doesn't it's probably bronze. If it were in a monastery, the center would be filled with blessed items and mantras. Many were broken open when the temples were destroyed. Usually the edges of these are much rougher as the bottoms were ripped off, not carefully taken off. the details on the Buddha are not as precise as a monastery piece would be either. The cement filled base keeps it weighted and is usually found in pieces made for export. The bronze is poured into a mold and would be hollow inside. Thinner bronzes are often filled with concrete to keep them from bending as well.
Determining age is difficult, as faked aging is common practice in Nepal.

The age is quite possibly correct, but more likely a vintage Nepalese tourist piece.

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