A FINE AND RARE BRONZE FIGURE OF BUDDHA SHAKYAMUNI, BURMA, PAGAN PERIOD, 12TH CENTURY

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A FINE AND RARE BRONZE FIGURE OF BUDDHA SHAKYAMUNI, BURMA, PAGAN PERIOD, 12TH CENTURY Burma. Finely cast, seated in dhyanasana on a tiered lotus pedestal, his right hand lowered in bhumisparsha mudra and the left resting palm-up in his lap in dhyana mudra. He wears a diaphanous sanghati draped over his left shoulder, its narrow folds delicately incised across the chest and continuing down the back. The serene face is modeled with heavy-lidded downcast eyes beneath arched brows, a broad straight nose, and full lips forming a subtle smile, flanked by elongated pendulous earlobes. The hair is arranged in rows of tight curls rising to a domed ushnisha surmounted by a petal-shaped ketumala. Dimensions: Height 15 cm The Kingdom of Pagan was the first Burmese kingdom to unify the regions that would later constitute modern-day Myanmar. Pagan's 250-year rule over the Irrawaddy valley and its periphery laid the foundation for the ascent of Burmese language and culture, the spread of Bamar ethnicity in Upper Myanmar, and the growth of Theravada Buddhism in Myanmar and in mainland Southeast Asia. The Burmese language and culture gradually became dominant in the upper Irrawaddy valley, eclipsing the Pyu, Mon, and Pali norms by the late 12th century. Theravada Buddhism slowly began to spread to the village level although Tantric, Mahayana, Brahmanic, and animist practices remained heavily entrenched at all social strata. Pagan's rulers built over 10,000 Buddhist temples in the Bagan Archaeological Zone of which over 2,000 remain today. The wealthy donated tax-free land to religious authorities. The kingdom went into decline in the mid-13th century as the continuous growth of tax-free religious wealth by the 1280s had severely affected the crown's ability to retain the loyalty of courtiers and military servicemen. This ushered in a vicious circle of internal disorders and external challenges by the Arakanese, Mons, Mongols, and Shans. Repeated Mongol invasions between 1277 and 1301 toppled the four-century-old kingdom. Literature comparison: Compare a closely related bronze figure of Buddha Shakyamuni, dated to the 12th century, 18 cm high, in the Cleveland Museum of Art, accession no. 1982.133. Compare a closely related seated Buddha with double-lotus base, dated to the late 11th century, 23.5 cm high, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, accession no. 2003.295a, b. Auction result comparison: Type: Closely related Auction: Bonhams Paris, 9 June 2026, lot 92 Mid-Estimate: EUR 30,000 Expert remark: Compare the closely related modeling and manner of casting with similar pose and facial features. Note the different lotus base and the size (20.5 cm).

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