Laos, 18th century, Important Maravijaya Buddha, Bronze and silver inlays

Maravijaya 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 the 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 inward-looking face is characterized by wide-open, silver-encrusted eyes topped by perfectly rounded superciliary arches. A long, aquiline nose in the shape of an eagle's beak dominates a mouth with thin lips and a broad smile, while the neck displays the folds of beauty. The skull is covered with a multitude of small pecks delineated by a wide border and topped by the ushnisha (cranial protuberance) from which springs a high rasmi in the shape of a stylized lotus bud. The pointed ears, with their long lobes distended by the weight of the ornaments the Buddha once wore in his worldly life, are curved outwards, the auricle in the shape of a snail shell, a classic attribute of Lao statuary.

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.

Bronze with dark green patina, silver inlays
43.7 x 19.7 cm
Minor casting defects
Private collection

°°°° The digital processing of the image barely retranscribes the almost hypnotic intensity of the gaze generated by the silver inlays. The facial expression finds all its depth in this addition of matter, and can be compared to images of the tirthankaras of Jain culture°°°°

Ref: 8BNT4DIHT6