Laos, 18th century, Buddha in bumisparsha mudra position, Old lacquered and gilded bronze

Buddha in bumisparsha mudra position

Laos
18th century


°°° Price can be reasonably negotiated °°°

The Buddha is depicted seated on a high, stepped pedestal in the sattvaparyanka position. The right leg resting on the left, the right hand resting on the knee in bumisparsha mudra position (taking the Earth as witness), the fingers pointing to the ground and the left hand placed in his lap, palm facing the sky.
The body is broad-shouldered, with a chest inflated with the breath of meditation. The awakened one is dressed in sangathi and uttarasangha, with the right shoulder uncovered and the left shoulder covered by a piece of cloth extending towards the navel. The face, with its great interiority, is classic Lao statuary: eyes with half-closed eyelids surmounted by perfectly rounded superciliary arches, a long aquiline nose in the shape of an eagle's beak overlooking a thin-lipped mouth with a broad smile, the neck showing the folds of beauty. The skull is covered with a multitude of small spikes and topped by the ushnisha (cranial protuberance) from which springs a high rasmi in the shape of a lotus bud. Pointed ears with long, distended lobes curved outwards, snail-shell-shaped pinnae.

The representation of our Buddha is one of the classic images in the canon of Buddhist statuary, and refers to a particular episode in the life of the Enlightened One. As he neared enlightenment under the Bodhi tree, Mâra, the god of unquenchable desires, sought to distract the Blessed One, claiming the throne of enlightenment for himself. Faced with Mâra's repeated assaults, the Buddha remains impassive and, with this symbolic gesture, takes the Earth as witness to his determination to attain complete Enlightenment.

Old lacquered and gilded bronze
23.4 x 11.4 cm
Wear and tear
Private collection
 

Ref: OW16KRGL5O