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Image of Gallery in South Kensington
On display at V&A South Kensington
Buddhism, Room 47f, The Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation Galleries of Buddhist Art

Sculpture

18th century (made)
Artist/Maker
Unknown
Place of origin
Burma (made)

This type of crowned and royally attired Buddha image was popular in Burma and Thailand where it commemorated a legendary event in the Buddha's life where he appeared to an arrogant Indian king Jambhupati, in order to overawe and subdue him.
The distinctive side ornaments to the headdress and tall crown with flame ornament cannot as yet be assigned to a particular area though the tubular earrings may suggest a provenance in the ethnic Shan areas of Upper Burma.


Object details

Categories
Sculpture
Buddhism
Object type
Sculpture
Materials and techniques
Wood, carved and lacquered, gilt and set with coloured glass
Teak
Glass
Lacquer
Carved
Gilt
Brief description
Seated Buddha, wood, carved and lacquered, gilt and set with coloured glass, Burma, late 18th or early 19th century.
Physical description
The figure of the Buddha Shakyamuni, is sitting in bhumisparsha and dhyana mudra with vajrasana. He has a tall ushnisha with one elongated "lotus bud" at the top, an elaborate five-leaf crown with lozenge-shaped pieces of coloured glass along the front and elaborate side-pieces, ear plugs with inset coloured glass, two necklaces and stoles over both forearms, rings on the right hand (of coloured glass) and a star shaped, motif on each knee.
Dimensions
  • Height: 140cm
  • Width: 76cm
  • Depth: 51cm
  • Incl. pallet and plastic weight: 69kg
Gallery label
  • Seated Buddha Shakyamuni 1700–1800 Northern Myanmar (Burma) Gilded teak Touching the ground with his right hand (bhumisparsha mudra), the Buddha calls the earth to witness his worthiness to attain enlightenment. He is crowned and dressed as a king, in reference to an incident when he overawed a boastful monarch called Jambupati. The tubular earrings suggest that the sculpture might come from the Shan ethnic area of northern Burma. Museum no. IS.13-1975(1/4/2009)
  • Seated Buddha 1700–1800 Touching the ground with his right hand, the Buddha calls the earth to witness his worthiness to attain enlightenment. He is crowned and dressed as a king. This is a reference to his spiritual kingship and to a legendary incident when he assumed a magnificent royal form to overawe a rebellious Indian monarch called Jambuputi. The facial features and tubular earrings suggest the figure came from a Shan ethnic area of northern Burma. Probably Shan States, Myanmar (Burma) Gilded teak and coloured glass Museum no. IS.13-1975(03/08/2015)
Object history
Bought from Bohan Antiques for £1500.
Subject depicted
Buddhism
Summary
This type of crowned and royally attired Buddha image was popular in Burma and Thailand where it commemorated a legendary event in the Buddha's life where he appeared to an arrogant Indian king Jambhupati, in order to overawe and subdue him.
The distinctive side ornaments to the headdress and tall crown with flame ornament cannot as yet be assigned to a particular area though the tubular earrings may suggest a provenance in the ethnic Shan areas of Upper Burma.
Bibliographic reference
Burmese art / John Lowry. London: H. M. Stationery Office, 1974 Number: 0112901794 : pl. 17 Sylvia Fraser-Lu: "Burmese Lacquerware"; Bangkok 1985 Clarke, John: Arts of Asia, vol. 45, no. 5, September - October 2015, "The Buddha image in Asia: Phase One of the Robert H. N.Ho Family Foundation Galleries of Buddhist Art", p. 117, 6.
Collection
South & South East Asia Collection
Accession number
IS.13-1975

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Record createdAugust 21, 2003
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O83582/sculpture-unknown/
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