Sotheby’s just released this news from its Paris salerooms:

at Sotheby’s in Paris, a rare large gilt-bronze figure of the Buddha Vairocana from a German private collection sold for €3,395,000 ($3,847,655 /  £2,496,694) to an Asian buyer. Impressive in its size, the large gilt-bronze figure of Vairocana, also known as the supreme Buddha, is adorned with a regal crown and earrings befitting his stature while the simple robes of a monk denote humility and compassion. Only one other piece of this distinct 15^th century type is known and it is in the collection of the Newark Museum.