Antique Bronze Buddha Laos Luang Prabang 18th - 19th Century

Buddha seated in bhūmisparśa mudrā (taking the Earth as witness), legs crossed in padmāsana, the fingers of the right hand brushing the ground, symbolizing awakening. The body is straight, the posture stable. The very concentrated and peaceful face has lowered eyelids, a well-defined closed mouth, and a characteristic forehead band descending on each side towards the ears, whose lobes are elongated and decorated with linear engravings. The hair is treated in small regular cornules, surmounted by a swollen uṣṇīṣa. The monastic robe reaches down to the base, decorated with linear and dotted motifs. His hands are thin, with tapered fingers. The silhouette is slender and balanced. Bronze, with a light brown patina, solid base, visible iron anchor rod, marks of time, discreet chip at the base. Good general condition of conservation. Luang Prabang School, Laos, late 18th – early 19th century Dimensions: 16 × 7.2 cm Provenance: former collection of a geographer from the south of France, built up in the 1960s–1980s. Sold with certificate of authenticity and invoice on request. The object is guaranteed to be original and period. "This Buddha embodies the stylistic traits of the Luang Prabang school, influenced by Siamese art while affirming specificities specific to the Lao religious tradition. The elongated silhouette, the motifs engraved on the toga, the frontal ornament descending to the ears and the serene expression of the face testify to the sober elegance of the ancient Lao style. This ritual figure comes from the Buddhist universe of the kingdom of Lan Xang, of which Luang Prabang was one of the major spiritual centers. These small ancient statuettes, from a votive art very widespread in Laotian temples and houses, are today rare on the market." * Shipping costs on estimate.