AN ALABASTER BUST OF A YOUTHFUL BUDDHIST MONK, SHAN STATES, 18TH CENTURY

拍品描述

AN ALABASTER BUST OF A YOUTHFUL BUDDHIST MONK, SHAN STATES, 18TH CENTURY Sensitively carved in the round, the slender torso enveloped in a diaphanous sanghati, draped over the right shoulder and leaving the left exposed. The rounded head bearing a serene expression, defined by heavy-lidded eyes beneath gently arched, finely incised brows, a slender nose, and bow-shaped lips forming a composed smile. Long, pendulous earlobes flank the face, while the head is surmounted by neatly arranged hair, with remnants of black lacquer, also visible on the eyebrows and pupils. Dimensions: Height 28.8 cm The founding of the Shan States inside the present-day boundaries of Burma began during the Pagan Kingdom in the Shan Hills and accelerated after 1287 when the Kingdom fell to the Mongols. The Tai people, who came south with the Mongols, stayed, and quickly came to dominate much of the northeastern arc of Burma. The newly founded Shan States were multi-ethnic and included minorities such as the Chin, the Kachin, the Wa, the Ta'ang, the Lisu, the Lahu, the Pa O, and the Kayah. Although Burmanized Shans founded the Ava Kingdom that ruled central Burma, other Shan States, Mohnyin in particular, constantly raided Ava territories throughout the years. A Mohnyin-led Confederation of Shan States finally conquered Ava in 1527. In 1555, King Bayinnaung dislodged Shan King Sithu Kyawhtin from Ava. By 1557 he went on to conquer all of what would become known as the Burmese Shan States under his rule, from the Assamese border in the northwest to those in Kachin and Shan Hills, including the two most powerful Shan States, Mohnyin and Mogaung. The Shan States were reduced to the status of governorships, but the Saophas (rulers) were permitted to retain their royal regalia and their feudal rights over their own subjects. Bayinnaung introduced Burmese customary law and prohibited all human and animal sacrifices. He also required the sons of Saophas to reside in the Burmese king's palace, essentially hostages, in order to ensure the good conduct of their fathers and to receive training in Burmese court life. Within this layered political arrangement, the distinct Shan style of Buddhist art emerged: a localized sculptural idiom shaped by Tai traditions, courtly patronage, and cross-regional influences, including Mon, Burmese, and Lanna aesthetics. Though not coterminous with the Shan States themselves, Shan style sculpture flourished within their territories, often serving as expressions of religious devotion, regional identity, and elite legitimacy under shifting regimes of power. Literature comparison: Compare a related Burmese alabaster seated Buddha, dated 18th century, 32.4 cm high, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, object number 85.11.13.

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