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23. Head of Buddha Sakyamuni Thailand, Ayudhia Kingdom 15th c. bronze, cast in the lost wax method, fine natural patina and traces of original gilding height 42 cm. |
The historical Buddha Gautama Sakyamuni is the embodiment of compassion who, having achieved the highest evolutionary perfection, turns suffering into happiness for all living beings. One of the time-honoured ways in which Thais ensure a favourable rebirth is to make, or sponsor the making of, a Buddha image. Once an image is invested with an inner life, it acquires a character or identity of its own. In practice the Thais consider Buddha images as living beings, and they treat them as such. In calamitous times, a number of Buddha images are reported to have cried, the best known case being the image by the name of Pra Chao Phananchoeng at Ayudhia, which shed tears before the city fell to the Burmese in 1767. This life-size head portrays Sakyamuni with full eyebrows and half-closed eyes, a gently smiling mouth, incised chin, and with fine small curls. The ushnisa, denoting spiritual wisdom, is depicted in the upper part of Buddha’s curly hair. A narrow band separates forehead and curls. Elongated earlobes, the result of wearing heavy earrings in his youth, reflect Buddha’s royal origin. The kingdom of Ayudhia was founded in 1350. By the mid-fifteenth century it occupied most of present-day Thailand, with the exception of the north. Till its destruction by the Burmese in 1767, Ayudhia was one of the richest and most powerful states ever in Southeast Asia. Five dynasties comprising thirty-three kings ruled the kingdom for 417 years. The city of Ayudhia, with its magnificent five hundred pagodas, was encompassed by a great stone wall some six miles in length. Though Sukhothai stylistic characteristics are still evident, this head is a classic example of the early Ayudhia period. The fine consistent casting, the small curls, the elongated pronounced ears, and the superbly stylized outlined facial features comprising elongated nose, eyes, mouth and eyebrows, are all typical elements of the Ayudhia style. Executed with a lively imagination, the bronze exemplifies the artistic and technical skills of the Ayudhia masters. The impressive more than life-size volume, the purity of the stylized lines and the pronounced facial features, create their own aesthetic, revealing a sense of serene humanity. With absolute calm and nobility, this Buddha expresses strongly his royal origin and high level of evolutionary perfection. Provenance: Ex Collection Mr. Charn Chuasomboon, President of the commission for experts in Bangkok, collected in the 1970's. Art Loss Register Certificate, Reference S00003274. J. Boisselier, La Sculpture en Thailande, Paris, 1987, p.167, n°126. Thailand Head of Buddha, Ayudhia style, 15th century, height 112 cm, Royal Palace Museum, Ayudhia, Thailand and p. 43, n°20. Thailand, Head of Buddha, Ayudhia, 15th/16th century, height 157 cm, National Museum, Bangkok. A.B. Griswold, Dated Buddha Images of Northern Siam, Atribus Asiae, Switzerland, 1957. |