Burma, Late 19th Century, Copper Alloy Statuette Representing The Buddha Shakyamuni

Statuette representing the Buddha Shakyamuni

Burma
Late 19th century

The Buddha is depicted seated on a tall, stepped pedestal, legs crossed in the vajraparyanka position, his right hand resting on his knee in bhumisparshamudra, a symbolic gesture of victory over inner demons and the activation of the Earth as a witness to his awakening, his left hand placed in his lap, palm facing upward. The Awakened One is clothed in the uttarasangha, worn close to his body, and a long saṃghati draped over his left shoulder.
His triangular face is characterized by thick, comma-shaped brow ridges above lenticular eyes, an aquiline nose with dilated nostrils above a thin mouth. The neck displays the three beauty lines, the forehead is adorned with a thin, striated band, and the delicate hair is styled with small spikes. The skull features the usnisa crowned with a rasmi in the shape of a lotus bud, and elongated ears with distended lobes extending to the shoulders, recalling the Blessed One's past worldly life.
The back of the piece bears a dedicatory inscription in Burmese.

Copper alloy
21.3 × 10.6 cm
Visible damage
Private collection

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