Burmese Shan Lacquered Wooden Buddha Sculpture 19th c.

Burmese Shan Lacquered Wooden Buddha Sculpture 19th century (c.a.1800)

Size: 54cm high, 15cm wide, 15cm deep.

Good Condition. The wood itself has typical dry rot damage to the base as well as old termite damage.

A beautiful classic piece of Burmese Shan Buddhist art. The Buddha sits in the Burmese lotus, Earth-touching position which commemorates the Buddha's attainment of enlightenment. The figure sits on an elaborate multi-stepped plinth. The piece has a reliquary compartment in the back. 

Object literature: The Shan arrived in Burma, Myanmar possibly from Yunnan, China. The first Shan-style Buddha images that were found seem to date back to the 17th century. The main and most common features of the Shan-style Buddha sculptures are a triangular face with a broad forehead, eyebrows arched high over narrowly opened eyes, a pointed nose with triangular nostrils, pursed thin lips, large and elongated ears, and short necks. They are often seated in Vajrasana with hands in Bhumisparsha mudra. 

Object History: Acquired in 2011 from Harlan J Berk, Chicago.