A VERY LARGE BUDDHA SHAKYAMUNI BRONZE
Thailand, Kingdom of Ayudhya, 16th – 18th century. The massively cast bronze with Buddha seated in dhyanasana on a triangular plinth, his right hand in bhumisparsha mudra. Crisp curly hair and raised ushnisha.

Provenance: From the estate of a Viennese Musician. Dorotheum, Vienna, December 1st, 1993, lot 836. An Austrian private collector, acquired from the above.
Condition: Extensive weathering and wear, minor dents, nicks and losses here and there. Remainders of lacquer gilding. Flame lost. Overall fine condition, especially when considering the age of this statue.

Weight: 96 kilograms
Dimensions: Height 79 cm, width 66.5 cm, depth 47 cm

The pleasing proportions, subtle smile, and tranquil eyes of this Buddha make it a beautiful example of, most likely, very early Ayudhya period sculpture. It exemplifies the ideal features as laid out in the Silpasastra, where the head is in the shape of an egg, the hair resembles scorpion stings, the nose is like a parrot’s beak, the eyebrows form drawn bows, and the chin is in the shape of a mango stone. (see T. Bowie, The Art of Thailand, 1960, p. 92).

The delicate facial features are strongly reminiscent of the images produced in the Sukkothai kingdom, which spanned from the mid-13th to mid-15th centuries.