Mahavairochana

This 9th-century bronze depicts Mahavairochana (the "Great Sun Buddha"), the cosmic Buddha who sits at the center of esoteric Buddhist theology. In Japanese Shingon Buddhism, he's called Dainichi Nyorai, and the entire universe is understood as his body. He unifies all emanations of Buddhism and represents universal truth. Vairochana typically displays the dharmachakra mudra (wheel-turning gesture) with both hands in front of the chest.

The piece dates to the period when esoteric Buddhism was reaching its peak in both Japan and Java. A famous contemporary example is the three-meter-tall stone Vairochana at the 9th-century Mendut temple near Borobudur in Java. Small portable bronzes like this allowed practitioners to maintain private devotional practice focused on the most important deity in the esoteric Buddhist cosmos. It's at the Art Institute of Chicago.