Kingdom Of Siam, 16th - 17th Century, School Of Ayutthaya, Small Bronze Buddha Head

Origin: Old Kingdom of Siam (Thailand)
Period: 16th - 17th century
Artistic Style: School of Ayutthaya
Material: Bronze
Off stand: 11.4 cm
Condition: Important patina of excavations
Provenance: From a set of a private collection

Despite an important patina of excavations, this face of Buddha presents a great serenity. The eyebrows with the finely worked curvature in slight relief meet over an overhanging nose. Almond eyes with wide, half-opened eyelids express deep interiority. The mouth with fleshy lips sketches a slight smile. The ears with the distended lobes, symbolize the royal origin of the historical Buddha. The head is covered with tiny and very detailed loops. The usnisa (cranial protuberance), evoking a bun at the beginning of the Buddhist era, is here surmounted by a large lotus bud.

The art of Ayutthaya, which occupied the period from 1350 to 1767, is generally divided into four sub-periods that reflect the influence of previous artistic traditions or renewal movement. From the mid-fifteenth century to the seventeenth century, the influence of Sukhothai dominates, but the artistic characteristics of the school of U Thong remain visible.