Ancient Kingdom Of Siam, Ayutthaya School, 15th-16th Century, Important Buddha Head

Large head of the Buddha Sakyamuni on a base

Ancient Kingdom of Siam
Ayutthaya School15th - 16th century

The face of the Buddha, with its great gentleness, is inscribed in an oblong shape and is characterized by fine, perfectly curved brow ridges meeting at the base of an aquiline nose with dilated nostrils. Heavy eyelids resting on closed almond-shaped eyes indicate that the Awakened One is immersed in deep meditation.
The mouth with its thick lips and pronounced corners is imprinted with a slight smile indicating the detachment of the Blessed One from earthly passions and contingencies. The hair, formerly lacquered, is delimited by a wide border and is composed of a multitude of small spikes. The top of the skull also has a wide circular border inside which small spikes are arranged in concentric circles symbolizing the ushnisha. The ears are adorned with long lobes distended by the weight of the ornaments that the Blessed used to wear, reminiscent of the Blessed's former worldly life.

We are dealing here with an early representation of Ayutthaya art, our Buddha face showing influences from the preceding kingdoms and empires of U Thong and Sukhothai. These characteristics therefore invite us to give a dating between the 15th and 16th centuries.

Limestone with traces of polychrome lacquer
Visible damages, surface wear
38 x 25 cm without stand
Presence of a labe l'Cabinet PORTIER'
Private collection

Contact us: culturesetcivilisations@orange.fr

°°° Due to the significant weight of the piece (32 kgs), a reasonable period of 10 to 15 days will be required to ensure a secure transport °°°