BUDDHA: Antique Bhumisparsamudra Burmese Mandalay Style, 24" Tall, 1800's, Gilt PLEASE SCROLL DOWN BELOW FOR MORE & LARGER PHOTOS

This is a very charming, handsome and impressive figure of the Lord Buddha carved from wood, gilded and decorated in Burma in the 1800's.

He is around 24 inches tall and 19 inches wide at his base which is large for a figure in this asana. Below is a photo of him with standard shot glass to give some idea of his proportions:  

With his oval face, elongated arms and fingers, and carefully chiseled drapery, this wood-carved and gilded Buddha image from Burma is characteristic of a style that developed in Mandalay in the late 1700's and 1800's. His eyes are made from inlaid gemstones.

He is carved from one piece of wood, lacquered and gilded. Gems of enamel ed glass  are placed along  the hems of his drapery and elsewhere . Th is is an early example so   t he gems are kept at an elegant minimum:  just  green white and red. Later examples   become a bit gaudy with the gems covering much more of the surface.

This Buddha measures 24 inches tall. The whole figure was gilded over a coat of red lacquer, but some of the gilding has naturally been worn away by handling. 

The bottom of the figure is has been carved out probably to reduce his weight. There is no serious damage to the figure, nor sign of any repair or restoration. The is a crack at his waist and another at his right elbow. These do not affect the visual aspect of the figure and they are quite normal for these large figures made of one piece of wood. After a time, the wood dries out more and more and there is some movement in the wood. The movement in this figure is very minimal. He is seated on a 2-inch plinth painted black

Our Buddha is portrayed meditating in the seated position of padmasana   , or the full lotus position, his left hand in dhyanamudra, the mudra of meditation, and his right hand in bhumisparsamudra, the mudra of calling the earth to witness his own enlightenment. This position is one of the most frequently depicted in Southeast Asian art as it is the moment when Prince Siddhartha becomes the Buddha, literally, "The Awakened One".   

This figure has a very strong presence on close inspection when the finely modeled details of his costume and face can be admired.   

The photos give an excellent idea of this wonderful example of Sacred Burmese Art.

If you should have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact me. 

And thanks for looking.

Due to the limitations of photography and the inevitable differences in monitor settings, the color of the pictures may be slightly different on your monitor from the Buddha himself, but I did my best to capture him as he is, and, at least on my monitor, the color is a very good match.

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