BUDA #22

Image of a seated Buddha of Thai origin, possibly from the classical period of the so-called Sukhothai style. The founder of Buddhism, Sidharta Gautama, is presented in this image made in bronze and with traces of gilding, in an attitude of “taking the earth as a witness or testimony” of his enlightenment. For this, his right arm is extended until the fingers of the hand touch the ground, while the left arm rests bent and showing the palm, on his lap. This gesture with which he emphasizes the moment of enlightenment is one of the most frequent among the iconography of Buddha of this Thai period. Its origin is undoubtedly in Sinhalese art and in the Burmese art of the Mon empire, although the style is configured as properly Thai. The sculptor has worked the wax mold, later cast following the lost wax process, looking for the softness of the curved line. This runs along the entire contour of the sacred image from the usnisha as a “flame” that crowns the headdress, to the petals with which the lotus flower throne is formed. The face gathers the signs of beauty that characterize the character, such as the urn or sign between the eyebrows, the marked curvature of the eyebrows, the aristocratic elongation of the earlobes and the enigmatic smile. These, together with the discreet look of the surrounding eyes, form the key to the spiritual restraint that must emanate from his face, all framed in the softness of the general lines of the face. As a continuation, the folds of the neck reminiscent of the natural markings of the shells give shape to the amplifying metaphor of the voice and doctrine of the Enlightened One. The body presents a rotund torso with firm rounded shoulders, smooth torso and agile and strong arms, whose model is not found in any ideal of human beauty or proportion, but in the wise combination of elements from the animal world. The strength and presence of the lion is manifested in his shoulders, the power and elasticity of the elephant’s trunk in his arms, creating with these and other analogies to the natural world, a superhuman image that does not distract the faithful from their meditation. For this reason the body presents a subtle disproportion that is covered with a cloak that covers part of his left shoulder. Buddha sits in majesty on a throne in the form of a lotus flower, delicately worked, which reminds the faithful of the path between the phenomenal world to enlightenment. The lotus that originates in muddy waters, in ignorance, grows to a beautiful bloom, alluding to the wisdom that brings enlightenment. On the base, which forms a single piece with the sculpture, there is an inscription in Thai. I.C.F. / Extracted from: Isabel CERVERA FERNÁNDEZ: Fundación Rodríguez-Acosta. Asian Art Collection. Granada, 2002. Bibliography: RAWSON, Ph.: The Art of Southeast Asia. London, 1967.