
Mark Rasmussen
International Director
This auction has ended. View lot details
Sold for US$6,250 inc. premium
Our Indian, Himalayan & Southeast Asian Art specialists can help you find a similar item at an auction or via a private sale.
Find your local specialist
International Director
泰國 大城時代 十七世紀 戴冠銅佛首
This elegant image of Buddha is a fine example of the Phra Chao Song Khruang image: "A Lord Wearing Ornaments". Articulated with a handsome face, the crowned Buddha possesses a quiet, dignified expression. The small mouth, angular nose, lotus-petal eyes, and curved brow are typical elements of this Ayutthaya-period image. A closely related example in the Dallas Museum of Art is published in Bromberg, The Arts of India, Southeast Asia, and the Himalayas, 2013, Dallas, p.243, no.141.
The sculpture also features a rarely seen inclusion of tall snail shells resting above the diadem. This likely follows a Theravadan legend about Siddhartha's pursuit of continuous meditation towards enlightenment in the Uruvela forest, seating perfectly still for so long that snails came to dwell on his head. The lore is entwined with the descriptive term of 'snail-shell curls' used to refer to the tightly tufted swirls of hair commonly seen on other types of Buddha images from Thailand.
Provenance
The Elizabeth and Willard Clark Collection, California since 1981