Burmese Bronze Buddha

Cast Bronze Buddha

This finely cast Buddha seated in the vajrasana position is in the Ava style, Ava being a mid-northern centre near Mandalay. The Buddha sits on a stepped throne or platform that is shaped like the holy Mount Meru, the mythical abode of the gods. The tiers of the throne are decorated with angular knobs.

The Buddha wears a monk’s robe which leaves his right shoulder bare and which folds up under the Buddha’s legs such that its pleats are visible from the front. A double-folded sash over his left shoulder falls to his naval. His right hand is in the gesture of ‘calling the earth to witness’ (

bhumisparsa-mudra). The right hand rests on his lap in a meditative gesture (dhyana-mudra) and holds between the thumb and index finger a small round myrobalan fruit.

The Buddha’s hair is in tight, small curls surmounted by a well-defined skull protuberance (

usnisa) that has a ‘flame’ that comprises a lotus-shaped bud atop a flattened sphere. The ears have exaggerated, elongated lobes. The face is finely and naturalistically rendered with a wide nose, prominent lips and meditative eyes.

The surface has a fine, age-related dark patina. There are no cracks or repairs. A small rectangular opening is in the side of the throne, possibly dating to the casting time and perhaps to allow the image to be secured to a platform. There is an old, very small dent to the left knee. In all, the condition is very fine.

A related Buddha, attributed to the 17th-18th century, with a similarly Meru-inspired throne is illustrated in Karow (1991, p. 76).

Overall, this is a fine, rare piece of excellent quality and of good size.

Karow, O.,

Burmese Buddhist Sculpture: The Johan Moger Collection, White Lotus, 1991.

UK art market