BUDDHA: Antique, Reassurance & Gifts, From Thailand, Gilded bronze,1800s 16"Tall

Description

A very fine and elegant image of the Lord Buddha cast in bronze and gilded in Thailand in the 1800s. He is 16 inches tall and has a superb patina. He raises his right hand in the Abaya Mudra, the mudra or gesture of imparting fearlessness and reassurance. This gesture represents protection, peace, benevolence and the dispelling of fear. He lowers his right hand in the Varada Mudra, the mudra of imparting blessings or gifts, of answering prayers or petitions. This is a powerful greeting: reassurance and blessings. The support, his garments & the orb atop his head were gilded but some of the gold has worn away. The surface is completely stable. If you are Viewing this with a Tablet or Phone, you might try turning the device horizontally to better see the description and photos.
BUDDHA: Antique, Reassurance & Gifts, From Thailand, Gilded bronze,1800s 16"Tall
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BUDDHA:
Antique Reassurance and Gifts
From Thailand
Gilded bronze,1800s 16" Tall​
This is a very fine and elegant image of the Lord Buddha cast
in bronze and gilded in Thailand in the beginning of the last
century or earlier.  He is 16 inches tall and has a superb
patina.
Below is a photo of him with a pink geranium floret to give
some idea of his proportions:
There is more discussion and explanation down below after
the list of Photos.
Please scroll down:
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O
ur Buddha stands upon a complex lotus petal support which
in turn, rests on a seething mass of sea creatures.
There is a story of him calming a storm upon the sea, and so
this Buddha is sometimes called "Calming the Seas". Another
story has him intervening in a family's great argument and
pacifying everyone: "Pacifying the Family."
They are nice stories for sure but I think it is better to look at
the Buddha himself especially the
mudras
, or hand gestures,
he is making here.
He raises his right hand in the
Abaya Mudra
, the
mudra
or
gesture of imparting fearlessness and reassurance.
This gesture represents protection, peace, benevolence and the
dispelling of fear.
It is like the ancient, Biblical angelic greeting, "Fear Not".
He lowers his right hand in the
Varada Mudra
, the
mudra
of
dispensing blessings or largesse, of answering prayers or
petitions.
This is a powerful greeting: reassurance and blessings.
The figure also leans slightly forward. This is not a defect; his
structural integrity is not at risk. Perhaps this was just a way
of making him seem more obliging.
This Buddha has the most ineffable expression of peace and
calm with his raised eyebrows, downcast eyes and gentle
smile
He has a small
urna
, the gold mark between his eyes, which is
symbolic of a kind of third eye with which he is able to see
past this world of suffering,
samsara
, into the world of
enlightenment.
The support with sea creatures, his garment, the orb atop his
head and his
urna
were all gilded, but some of the gold has
naturally worn away. This old gold combines with the rich
chocolate brown of the exposed bronze to create a beautiful
and complex overall patina.
The bridge of his nose has been shined by countless caresses.
The surface is completely stable, with no flaking or chipping.
Our Buddha has no significant losses or damage,- there are a
few small dings to the top of his support -  nor any signs of
repair or restoration. I believe that the figure of the Buddha is
solid cast, whereas the base is hollow and still filled
with its old, tempered core of sand and clay with an
appropriate aged color.
The simplicity of the sweeping curves of his clothes
accentuates the gestures of his hands and adds fluidity and
liveliness to what might otherwise be a rather static image.
The photographs give a very good idea of the beauty, charm
and elegant simplicity of this wonderful example of Sacred
Art From Thailand.
If you should have any questions at all, please don't hesitate to
contact me.
And thanks for looking
.
PROVENANCE
This Buddha is from the estate of a gentleman who was
employed by the US State Department and posted to the Far
East in the early middle years of the last century. This
Buddha left Thailand before any prohibitions on the export of
antiquities were in effect.
Due to the limitations of photography and the inevitable differences
in monitor settings, the color of the pictures on your monitor may
be slightly different from the Buddha himself, but I did my best to
capture him as he is. And, at least on my monitor, the color is a very
good match.
A MESSAGE TO MY CLIENTS
I have been diagnosed with B-cell Lymphoma / Chronic
Lymphocytic Leukemia which is not good. Treatable,
but i
ncurable and always fatal.
But it could be worse.
I have been a little sidetracked by required obedience to
doctors.
But I will continue to deaccession items from my
collections as much and as fast as possible.
I am also still disabled with a right arm and hand, formerly
completely paralyzed and broken, now just extremely
disobedient and weak. They will not do what I desire them to
do with the speed and accuracy I require.
When I get one-handed packing down perfectly, I will add it
to my resume.
Payment
Winning Bidders: please pay for your item within three days of this auction's close.
Foreign Buyers: please request an invoice with actual shipping costs before paying.
I am more than happy to offer reduced shipping costs or combined shipping if a bidder wins more than one auction within a week, even if the items cannot be shipped together.
About Us
I am an artist/painter and a life-long antiques collector and dealer. I absolutely guarantee that every item is as described in my words and pictures. If you should have any questions at all, please contact me, and I will respond as quickly as possible.
Buyer satisfaction is of paramount importance to me. I
f you have any questions at all about an item you have purchased from me,
I will do everything possible to answer your concerns or rectify any inadvertent error. Please contact me before leaving neutral or negative feedback. I strive to keep a 100% customer satisfaction rate and will do whatever it takes to ensure that all buyers are happy with their purchases. Feedback is very important to me. I always leave excellent feedback for buyers and I try to do whatever I can so that buyers will be happy to do the same for me.
If you like what you see here, please add me to your saved sellers list. I will have similar items for your consideration nearly every week. And Thanks for looking.
I would be more than happy to answer any question you might have.
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