Description
A BRONZE FIGURE OF BUDDHA. THAILAND, LOPBURI STYLE, 13TH – 14TH CENTURY
Seated in dhyanasana with his right hand in bhumisparsamudra and the left held in his lap, dressed in a sheer sanghati with the folds draped over the left shoulder, the face with wide features flanked by pendulous earlobes, the hair in tight curls topped by a linga-shaped ushnisha within a lappet border.
Provenance: The collection of Sir Jeremy Lever KCMG, University of Oxford, Faculty of Law, Honorary Fellow, Barrister and Queen’s Counsel.
Condition: Fine condition with a superb, naturally grown dark patina with distinct areas of malachite green, some old wear, soiling, traces of use and minor surface scratches, casting flaws. Losses, smaller breaks, dents and other minor age-related flaws.
Weight: 19.7 kg
Dimensions: Height 53 cm
The present figure of Buddha Shakyamuni, depicted in his standard posture with hair in tight curls and topped with a linga-shaped ushnisha, is an amalgamated style that emerged around the ancient city of Lopburi, which was occupied by the Khmer empire in the twelfth century. The pronounced physique in the present figure distinctively displays the influences of Khmer imagery of the Angkor period, while the earlier local Dvaravati influence can be seen in the wide face, the extremely long pendulous earlobes, and the unusual chignon.