G767.1 BRONZE SEATED BUDDHA  

NORTHERN THAI

CHIANG SAEN-LAN NA STYLE

THAI PING (CHIANG MAI) TYPE

15^TH-16^TH CENTURY

H. 45 CMS, 17 ¾ INS

A magnificent bronze image of Buddha, seated in virasana with his right hand lowered in bhumisparsimudra (the gesture of ‘summoning the earth to witness’), the face meditative and serene and the hair with snail-shell curls forming a conical usnisha, a long shoulder flap extending down to the navel, the pedestal adorned with complex swirling vegetal scrollwork.

For a discussion of the six types of northern Thai Buddha images see pp. 73-74 in C. Stratton, Buddhist Sculpture of Northern Thailand, Chiang Mai: Silkworm Books, 1994. For two related Buddhas see figs. 7.101 and 7.102 (ibid).

Provenance: Private UK collection.