Ancient Kingdom Of Siam, XVIth - XVIIth Century, Buddha Ayutthaya Style In Bronze

Ancient Kingdom of Siam (Thailand)
16th – 17th century
Bronze
Without stand: 29.8 x 9.5 cm
Statuette broken in two parts, surface wear
Private collection

The Buddha in Ayutthaya style is represented standing in samabhanga, the two arms folded along the body, the hands long thin fingers in the position of fearlessness (abhaya mudra). He is dressed in the monastic robe uttarasanga, the latter covering him entirely up to the height of the calves, the habit being girded by a fabric of which a flap falls in a straight line from the navel. The face is characterized by eyebrows in relief in a semicircle meeting above an aquiline nose, the latter framed by eyes with half-closed lids overhanging a mouth with a pronounced smile. The hairstyle presents the classic cranial protuberance (usnisa) from which springs a small flamed ornament (rasmi), symbol of the spiritual radiance of the Blessed, borrowed from Sinhalese images. The ears with lobes distended by the weight of the ornaments, symbolize the royal origin of the historical Buddha, the neck presenting the three classic folds of beauty.

The mudra of fearlessness refers to a particular episode in the life of the Awakened. Devadatta, the cousin of the Buddha, wishing to replace him at the head of the community, tries several times to suppress him. Thus in the city of Rajagrha, with the complicity of Dhirana, the mahout of the palace, Devadatta unleashes the elephant Nalagiri against the Buddha. The Blessed One with a simple gesture of appeasement calms the animal, thus demonstrating the virtues of the Buddhist faith which are exercised on all beings, from the gods to the humblest of creatures.