Laos, 17th - 18th Century, Important Maravijaya Buddha In Solid Bronze With Brown Patina

Antique Maravijaya Buddha in solid bronze

Laos
17th - 18th century

The Buddha is depicted seated on a high, shuttle-shaped stepped base in the sattvaparyanka position, his right leg resting on his left leg, his right hand resting on his knee in the bumisparsha mudra position, his fingers pointing towards the ground and his left hand placed in his lap, palm facing the sky. The body has broad shoulders and a chest swollen with the breath of meditation. The awakened one is dressed in the sangathi and the uttarasangha pressed against the body, leaving the right shoulder uncovered, a piece of cloth placed on the left shoulder extending towards the navel. The face, with its great interiority, is characterized by large lenticular eyes with half-closed eyelids and surmounted by eyebrow arches with an accentuated curve. A long, aquiline nose shaped like an eagle's beak overhangs a mouth with thin lips outlining a slight smile, the neck presenting the folds of beauty.
The skull is covered with a multitude of small spikes delimited by a fine border and surmounted at its summit by the ushnisha from which springs a high flamed rasmi symbol of the spiritual radiance of the Awakened One. The pointed ears with long lobes distended by the weight of the ornaments that the Buddha once wore in his worldly life are curved outwards, the auricle in the shape of a snail shell, a classic attribute of Lao statuary.

The representation of our Buddha is part of the classic images of the canons of Buddhist statuary and refers to a particular episode in the life of the Awakened One. The latter being close to achieving Enlightenment under the Bodhi tree, Mara, the god of constantly unfulfilled desires seeks to distract the Blessed One and claims to claim the throne of Enlightenment for himself. Faced with Mara's repeated assaults, the Buddha remains impassive and by this symbolic gesture, calls the Earth to witness his will to achieve complete Enlightenment.

Solid bronze with brown patina
39.5 x 24 cm Wear from use, some remnants of gilding and lacquer, small restorations on the back of the Buddha
French private collection

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