Former Kingdom Of Siam, First Half Of The 19th Century, Maravijaya Buddha Bust, Bronze

Bust of the Buddha Maravijaya in royal regalia

Old Kingdom of Siam
Rattanakosin period, first half of the 19th century
Reign of Rama III (1824- 1851)

The bust of this Buddha displays broad shoulders and a full chest animated by the inner breath of meditation. The Enlightened One is clad in the sangathi and the uttarasangha, closely adhering to the body and leaving the right shoulder bare, a fold of the garment draped over the left shoulder extends diagonally toward the navel, while the left hand, with its long and slender delicately curved fingers, is held in dhyanamudra.
The face, youthful in appearance and imbued with great gentleness, is set within a harmonious oval. It is characterized by large lenticular eyes with half-closed eyelids, conveying a meditative attitude marked by inwardness and serenity, detached from worldly contingencies. The delicate urna, in slight relief, positioned in the middle of the forehead, the perfectly curved brow ridges meet at the base of an aquiline, eagle-beak-shaped nose, overlooking a mouth with delicate lips whose corners suggest a faint smile.
The head is covered with a multitude of small protuberances and surmounted by the ushnisha, from which once rose a rasmi, now partially lost. The pointed ears with their long lobes, stretched by the weight of the ornaments formerly worn by the Buddha during his princely life, curve gently outward.

Our Buddha bust can be compared with the productions from the reign of Rama III (1824-1851)
The ornamental richness of the monastic robe and the sanghati, covered with repetitive floral motifs of the pha lai type, as well as the lightly punched relief decoration, are fully in keeping with the decorative vocabulary developed under the Chakri dynasty during the first half of the 19th century.
The extremely refined surface treatment, reminiscent of precious embroidered or damasked fabrics, is a recurring feature of sculptures associated with the royal workshops and the major religious programs of Bangkok during the early Rattanakosin period. The star-shaped floral motifs regularly distributed across the garment recall court textiles and reflect the period’s pronounced taste for abundant decorative effects inherited from Siamese, Chinese, and palatial traditions.
In Thai Buddhist iconography, this ornamental sophistication also has a symbolic dimension: floral motifs, associated with spiritual purity, perfection, and the Buddhist paradise, function as a form of visual offering, exalting the transcendent nature of the Enlightened One.

Formerly gilded bronze
Visible accidents, surface wear
54 × 18 cm overall
From the former collection of Mr. P., aesthete and major collector of Asian Arts


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