- DIMENSIONS:
- Height 0.75 m
- DESCRIPTION:
- A partially
lacquered white marble image of the seated Buddha, the figure making
the "earth touching" gesture with his right hand. The left
is placed palm open, a position (dhyani mudra) denoting meditation.
The stone is cut away, except for a small support, between the hand
and the god's lap (actually, the sole of his left foot), an unusual
feature probably considered a feat of technical virtuosity. He is seated
in the lotus position (padmasana) on a lotus throne, the latter
indicated by a double (over-lapped) row of downward-pointing lotus petals
in low relief. The lower part of the throne is irregular in shape and
was probably never finished. The Buddha's robe is worn so as to leave
the right shoulder bare and with what is probably meant to be a scarf
hanging down over his back and left shoulder. These features, including
the ends of the robe spread out on the throne between the Buddha's knees,
are indicated simply by incised lines and by colouring, the two not
always in accord. The single exception is the robe indicated on the
left side not only by its gold colouring but also by the failure to
cut through the marble between body and arm. The ear-lobes of the Buddha
are elongated. The hair-line is likewise indicated by both colour and
incised lines; the protuberance at the top of the head is of an unnatural
regularity and terminates in a finial.
- COMMENTARY:
- In the
most recent centuries, these white marble or alabaster figures have
been the most common types of Burmese stone images of the Buddha. The
knob on the top of the head is the ultimate successor to the "cranial
protuberance" covered with hair depicted on the earliest Buddha
images (first-second centuries AD), probably a reminder that the Buddha,
from a warrior caste, originally wore his uncut hair in a bun or chignon
under his turban. The origin of this feature came to be forgotten and
it was taken for a "cranial protuberance", one of the marks
of a Buddha, like his lion roar and the auspicious marks on the soles
of his feet. Later topped by a flame, the present architectural finial
is a very late feature. The pose, with the right hand touching the throne
and the left palm upward along the lap, is known as "earth touching"
(bhãmi sparsa) or "calling the earth to witness",
and it is the one favoured above all others by Burmese sculptors of
every age. It is associated with the Buddha's attaining Enlightenment
under the Bodhi-tree of Bodhgaya, one of the four great events in his
life.
- Museum Id. No:
- 1656 p. 42: Indian Pa God
1685 B no. 175a: Deus aut Idolum indicum pae God vulgo (dictum)
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