Laos, 17th Century, Maravijaya Buddha In Bronze

Laos XVIIth century
Bronze
19.5 x 29 cm
Nicel patina of seniority
Private collection


Buddha Maravijaya from Laos in bronze with old patina. He is represented seated in the sattvaparyanka position on a plinth decorated with a row of double spiral motifs, the right hand resting on the knee in bumisparsha mudra, the fingers pointing towards the ground, the left hand placed in his lap, palm turned towards the sky. The massive body with the broad shoulders and the powerful chest swollen with the vital breath, dressed in the samgathi, the monastic robe, pressed against the body and leaving the right shoulder uncovered, a long stretch of the fabric descending in a straight line on the navel. The emaciated-looking face has large almond-shaped eyes with half-closed eyelids expressing great interiority. The eagle's beak nose surmounts a thin mouth sketching a slight smile, the latter overhanging a small prognathic chin. The hairstyle made up of a multitude of small pimples draws a delicate V at the hairline, the top of the skull receiving the usnisa from which springs a flamed ornament. The lobed ears distended by the weight of the ornaments symbolize the royal origin of the Buddha.

The representation of our Buddha is part of the classic images of the canons of Buddhist statuary and refers to a particular episode in the life of the Awakened. The latter being close to reaching Enlightenment under the Bodhi tree, Mâra, the god of unceasingly unfulfilled desires seeks to distract the Blessed and claims to claim for himself the throne of Awakening. Faced with the repeated attacks of Mâra, the Buddha remains impassive and by this symbolic gesture, takes the Earth to witness his will to reach complete Enlightenment.