18th C Thai Gilt Bronze Buddha Bhumisparsha Early Rattanakosin Thailand

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18th C Thai Gilt Bronze Buddha Bhumisparsha Early Rattanakosin Thailand:
$9500.00

Thailand – EarlyRattanakosinPeriod

18thcentury

Height 18 1/4" Width 13 1/2"

Provenance:Steve Farr, Dallas, TX

Paul van Katwijk, Dallas, TX

This beautiful gilt bronzedepicts theBuddhaShakyamuni (563-483 BCE)seated in thedhyanasanaposition high upon an ornately castthree-tiered base, emphasizingthe sculpture’s sense of elegant symmetry.His left hand is held in dhyana mudra above his lap, symbolizing serene meditation and spiritual perfection.With hislowered right hand, the Buddha forms thebhumisparshamudra, which can be translated as “gesture of touching the earth” in which the buddha touches the ground in order to call upon the earth to witness his enlightenment, having defeated the temptations of the evilMara;acentraltheme in ThaiBuddhistart.The buddha’s monastic sanghati robe is worn leaving the right shoulder bare, with a long section of cloth, representing his narrowly folded shawl,fallingfrom his left shoulder to just besidethe navel.Calm and serene, he gazes down with heavy-lidded eyes below gently arched brows. His full lips form a subtle smile,framed by pendulous earlobes; theelongated ears symbolizingthe buddha’sability to hear the cries ofthosewho are suffering, andtoreference his former princely statusbefore hisspiritualjourney to enlightenment.The sculptor has masterfully rendered three subtle folds around the Buddha’s neck, representing the three virtues of conduct, concentration, and wisdom.Often interpretedin Buddhist artas snail shells, his hair is arranged in tightly curledringlets. Adding tothe sculpture’senergyand radiance, aflame of enlightenment rises from the top of hisushnisha, acranial bump symbolic of the Buddha’s infinite wisdom.

Thelovelysurface patinaof the bronzeis polished and well worn, with only traces of gilt remaining.This seated buddha was cast in whichtimetheartisticinfluences of the clearly visibleinrepresentationsof the buddha,depictinghimfree of ornamentationand in simplemonk’srobes.After the destructionof the Ayutthaya Kingdom by the Burmese,King Tak Sin theGreatsuccessfully drove out the invaders and reunified the country, establishinga new capital at Thonburi, a strategic port town at the mouthofthe Chao Phraya River.Subsequently whenTak Sin wasdeposed, Thong Duang was chosen as king, known asRamaI,ushering intheRattanakosinperiod andestablishing the Chakri Dynasty whichcontinuesto reign over Thailand today. As on the traditions of the previous Ayutthayaperiod, sotoothe art of the Ayutthayawasa continuation of thesculptural artistic traditions of Thailand’s first kingdom