Ancient Kingdom of Siam, 16th - 17th century, bronze Buddha in Ayutthaya style

Ancient Kingdom of Siam (Thailand)
16th - 17th century
Bronze
Off base: 29.8 x 9.5 cm
Statuette broken in two parts, surface wear
Private collection

The Buddha is depicted standing in samabhanga, both arms folded at the side of his body, his hands with long tapered fingers in a position of fearlessness (abhaya mudra). He is dressed in the uttarasanga monastic robe, the latter covering him entirely up to the calves, the habit being girded by a cloth, one side of which falls in a straight line from the navel.
The face is characterized by raised eyebrows in a semicircle overhanging eyes with half-closed lids and meeting above an aquiline nose, the latter overcoming a mouth with a pronounced smile. The hairstyle presents the classic cranial protuberance (usnisa) from which a small flamed ornament (rasmi) springs, a symbol of the Blessed's spiritual radiance borrowed from Sinhalese images. The ears, with their lobes distended by the weight of the ornaments, symbolize the royal origin of the historical Buddha, while the neck has the classic three folds of beauty.

The mudra of fearlessness refers to a particular episode in the life of the Enlightened One. Devadatta, the Buddha's cousin, wanting to replace him as head of the community, tried several times to suppress him. Thus in the city of Rajagrha, with the complicity of Dhirana, the mahout of the palace, Devadatta releases the elephant Nalagiri against the Buddha. The Blessed One by a simple gesture of appeasement calms the animal, thus demonstrating the virtues of the Buddhist faith which are exerted on all beings, from the gods to the humblest creatures.

Ref: P4HG0EB2RU