Laos, 18th-19th Century, Representation Of The Maravijaya Buddha, Bronze With Green Patina

Representation of the Buddha Maravijaya

Laos
18th-19th century

The Buddha is depicted seated on a base in the sattvaparyanka position, his right leg resting on his left, his right hand placed on his knee in the bumisparsha mudra with fingers pointing towards the ground, and his left hand placed in his lap, palm facing upward. His body has broad shoulders and a chest filled with the breath of meditation. The enlightened one is clothed in the sangathi and uttarasangha, which lie close to his body, leaving his right shoulder bare. A fold of the cloth draped over his left shoulder extends towards his navel. His face is characterized by large, lenticular eyes with half-closed eyelids, surmounted by brow ridges that meet at the base of his nose.
The nose sits above a mouth with thin lips that form a slight smile, and his neck displays the classic folds of beauty. The skull is surmounted by the ushnisha, from which springs a flaming rasmi, symbol of the Awakened One's spiritual radiance. The ears have long lobes stretched by the weight of the ornaments the Buddha once wore in his worldly life.

This representation of our Buddha is among the classic images of Buddhist statuary and refers to a particular episode in the Awakened One's life. As he was close to attaining Enlightenment under the Bodhi tree, Mara, the god of perpetually unfulfilled desires, sought to distract the Blessed One and claimed the throne of Enlightenment for himself. Faced with Mara's repeated assaults, the Buddha remained impassive and, through this symbolic gesture, called upon the Earth to witness his will to attain complete Enlightenment.

Bronze with a green patina
15.3 x 7.2 cm
Signs of wear
Private collection

Contact us: culturesetcivilisations@orange.fr