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Collections

Unknown
Buddha Shakyamunidated 1890

On view:
Resnick Pavilion, floor 1
Bronze sculpture of a seated figure in cross-legged pose with a flame-shaped crown finial, warm gold patina with green oxidation on the trapezoidal base
Bronze seated Buddha figure viewed from behind, in meditation posture with draped robe, curled hair ushnisha topped with a flame finial, on a bell-shaped pedestal with patinated surface showing age.

Unknown, Buddha Shakyamuni, dated 1890, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Gift of Michael Phillips, photo © Museum Associates/LACMA

Artist or Maker
Unknown
Title
Buddha Shakyamuni
Place Made
Laos or Northern Thailand
Date Made
dated 1890
Medium
Copper alloy inlaid with rock crystal and obsidian
Dimensions
25 7/8 x 12 1/2 x 9 in. (65.72 x 31.75 x 22.86 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of Michael Phillips
Accession Number
M.80.228.2
Classification
Sculpture
Collecting Area
South and Southeast Asian Art
Curatorial Notes

The dedicatory inscription on the base of this Buddha image is written in the Tham alphabet and is in the Thai Yuan and Pali languages.

In Thai Yuan:

"In the year Chalu, Ekasok, (this image) was made, on a Friday, month 4, 9th night of the waning moon, 2432 (years after the Nibbana [nirvana] of) the Buddha (Friday, March 14th, 1890). Luang Phakdi, his wife and family had the greatest faith (in the teachings of the Buddha) and so they made this Buddha image and gave it to the religion for its 5000 years (of existence)"

In Pali:

"May (the merit resulting from our making this image) be a means for us to reach Nibbana."






Selected Bibliography
  • Brown, Robert L. Southeast Asian Art at LACMA: An Online Scholarly Catalogue. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 2013. Accessed June 25, 2024. http://seasian.catalog.lacma.org/.

  • Little, Stephen, Tushara Bindu Gude, Karina Romero Blanco, Silvia Seligson, Marco Antonio Karam. Las Huellas de Buda. Ciudad de México : Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia, 2018.
  • Little, Stephen, and Tushara Bindu Gude. Realms of the Dharma: Buddhist Art across Asia. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 2025.

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