THAILAND.

AYUTTHAYA PERIOD.

16TH - 17TH CENTURY.

H. 130 CMS, 51 INS.

A magnificent carved, lacquered and gilded wooden figure of Buddha, his face placid and reflective beneath a domed chignon rising to the remains of a flame finial; his arms extended to hold an alms bowl and his sanghati flaring and covering both shoulders with a broad belt and a central fold between the legs, with an extensive covering of gilding and black lacquer throughout.

This blissful, perfectly proportioned figure was sculpted during the middle part of Thailand’s Ayutthaya kingdom. For a brief history of Ayutthaya please see the entry for catalogue no. 16.

For a similar large wooden figure in the renowned Jim Thompson collection, please see plate no. 71 in W. Warren and B. Brake, The House on the Klong: The Bangkok Home and Asian Art Collection of James Thompson, New York and Tokyo: Walker/Weatherhill, 1968.