Posted By: Bill H
Posted Date: Apr 15, 2010 (11:29 PM)
Richard, the general character of the image has most of the right qualities for the so-called Mandalay style (most artisans in Mandalay traditionally were ethnic Shan of the Tai group). These features include the shape of the 'usnisha' {the elevation atop the head} and the earth-touching posture or 'bhumisparsa mudra'. The carving is slightly below average and the smile seems a tiny bit more exaggerated than my experience would suggest. Such variances may suggest that yours is a modern copy carved by Shan artisans or their Thai cousins in and around the handicraft center of Chiangmai, Thailand.
I don't have an alabaster Mandalay Buddha, but here is one done in dry lacquer that's just under three feet high. It probably dates to the first quarter of the 20th century.
Best regards,
Bill H.
