Child Buddha, lacquered and gilded wood, Burma, 19th

Extremely rare representation of the standing naked child Buddha.
Polychrome, lacquered and gilded wood
Glassware inlays
height of the Buddha: 64 cms
height with base: 69 cms

Provenance: Private collection of a Brussels connoisseur...

The Buddha stands on a lotus, one hand pointing towards Earth and the other towards Heaven, palms facing outwards, performing the two postures Abhaya Mudra and Varada Mudra, which are quite rare together.

The Abhaya mudra is a representation of the Buddha with his hand raised, palm facing forward and fingers united. The Buddha offers by this gesture protection and appeasement to those who meet him. This mudra symbolizes fearlessness and the peace that comes from enlightenment.
The Varada-mudrā characterizes the gift. The hand is open and drooping, palm facing the others, fingers outstretched. The downward opening shows that the Buddha does not keep anything locked up in his hand and that whatever is there can spread out into the world, material as well as spiritual.

As we mentioned for the gong bearer in our gallery, Burmese wood carvers were virtuosos in this field, their hard apprenticeship lasting at least 6 years, guided by their Master.
Whether in ancient Egypt (I am thinking in particular of the Amarna period), or among the builders of cathedrals via the pre-Columbians, religious or spiritual sculpture leaves no room for chance. Everything is thought out with the aim of transmitting knowledge, of delivering a message that elevates Man.

Our sculpture is a perfect example, obviously made by a Master. The child Buddha, naked, with androgynous hips, the disproportion of the hands compared to the rest of the body, all these details are not the clumsiness of a mediocre sculptor, quite the contrary. Judge by the extreme control of the curve of the curve of the Buddha, the fluidity of the gestures of his hands, the smiling and serene features of a face of perfect proportions. And all this would be incomplete if our sculpture did not transmit with clarity, simplicity and force the teaching of the Buddha, which it achieves to perfection.
Only one thing has to be done. Be silent, contemplate and let yourself be invaded.
 

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