This wood with lacquer image of the historical Buddha Shakyamuni displays several of the standard iconographic features. He has snail-curl hair, the cranial protuberance (ushnisha) emblematic of his omniscience, elongated earlobes symbolizing his renunciation of the material world, and heavily-lidded pensive eyes conveying his compassion for all sentient beings. There is no sacred forehead marking (urna). A jewel forms a finial on top of the head. He sits in the meditation posture (padma asana). His right hand is extended in the gesture of calling upon the earth to witness his right to achieve Enlightenment after his many lifetimes (bhumisparsha mudra). His robe is almost transparent, marked only by the hems. The outer robe is worn over his left shoulder only. Rather than a lotus base, the Buddha sits on a multitiered throne adorned with chevrons on the upper border and swags of cloth on the base. The structure of the throne is similar to that of M.80.228.3.
Stylistically, the sculpture reflects the assimilation by Burmese artists of the artistic traditions of the Pala Dynasty of Eastern India (r. 750–1161), specifically those of the 11th – 12th century. However, the radiocarbon dating of the sculpture has been calculated to between 1660 CE and 1950 CE, with the earliest date for the wood using the carving being 1690 CE. Thus, the sculpture was likely made in the 18th century, although a creation date in the 19th century or even the first half of the 20th century cannot be ruled out. (Brown 2013, Artibus Asiae 73:1, pp. 224 and 229, fig. 7)
