Page 41 - Bonhams, Indian and Himalayan Art New York July 23, 2020

841 W
A GILT LACQUER COPPER ALLOY FIGURE OF BUDDHA See further examples of Rattanakosin-period gilt-lacquer bronze
THAILAND, RATTANAKOSIN PERIOD, 19TH CENTURY Buddha images discussed in Rod-Ari, “The Buddha as Sacred
35 1/2 in. (90 cm) high Siamese King: Brocaded Buddhas of the Third Reign”, in The Walters
Art Museum Journal, Vol. 73, 2018, figs.1-5.
$15,000 - 20,000
Provenance
泰國 拉達納哥信王國時期 十九世紀 銅漆金佛陀坐像 JF Chen, Los Angeles, 10 April 2000
Private West Coast Collection
This life-size sculpture of Buddha ranks among the finest produced
during Thailand’s Rattanakosin period (1782-1932). Seated in the half-
lotus heroic posture (virasana), Buddha’s downcast eyes are inset with
glass and mother of pearl. He is clad in a monastic robe embellished
with gesso floral roundels (pha lai) conveying a lavishly embroidered
cloth. Buddha images wearing such patterned robes, a symbol of
royalty, were introduced during the reign of King Rama III (r. 1824-51),
and disappeared thereafter. It is thus most likely that this majestic
sculpture was one such royal commission produced under King Rama
III’s reign.

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