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Collections

Unknown
Buddha Shakyamunicirca 12th-13th century

On view:
Resnick Pavilion, floor 1
Standing wood sculpture of a robed figure with rust-red lacquer and gold gilding, raised right palm facing outward, standing on a lotus pedestal
Carved wooden standing Buddha figure with traces of red and gold lacquer, right hand raised with fingers extended, left hand lowered with open palm, wearing a draped robe with scalloped hem, ushnisha with gilded tip, mounted on a lotus base.
Tall wooden standing Buddha figure with traces of red and gold lacquer, right hand raised in abhaya mudra, wearing monastic robes, ushnisha with textured curls, mounted on a lotus base with visible cracking and wear.
Carved wooden standing Buddha figure with remains of red and gold lacquer, right hand raised in abhaya mudra, wearing a monastic robe with folded hem details, ushnisha with stippled texture, mounted on a cracked lotus base.
Close-up of a lacquered and gilded Buddha head, with downcast eyes, elongated earlobes, rows of textured hair curls, and a pointed ushnisha; worn red and gold lacquer surface revealing dark underlayer.
Wooden Buddha head in profile, with textured curled hair, ushnisha crown, and elongated ear; cracked and worn red lacquer surface with traces of gilt.
Sculpture viewed from behind, showing the head and upper shoulders of a Buddha figure with rows of textured curls, elongated ears, and a pointed ushnisha crown. Aged surface retains traces of red and gold lacquer over a dark patina.
Wooden standing Buddha figure mounted on a support pole, frontal view, with ushnisha and elongated earlobes; the body is enveloped in a wide monastic robe forming a broad, bell-shaped silhouette with heavily weathered, flaking surface revealing reddish-brown and dark gray layers.
Wooden standing Buddha figure with traces of red lacquer, ushnisha with curled hair, right hand raised in abhaya mudra, wearing a draped robe with carved rippled hem, standing on a lotus base.
Close-up detail of a polychromed wood sculpture showing draped robes with carved flowing folds, deep red and gold pigment worn with age, and carved scrolling decorative pattern at the hem.
Close-up detail of a lacquered wooden sculpture showing a raised hand in abhaya mudra gesture, with heavily worn red and gold polychrome surface revealing aged layers beneath.
Detail of a wooden sculpture showing two outstretched arms and hands with palms open, finished in red and gold lacquer with extensive age-related flaking and wear.
Wooden standing Buddha figure with weathered red and gold lacquer surface; right hand raised in abhaya mudra, left hand lowered; ushnisha with textured curls, elongated earlobes, and smooth facial features.
Unknown, Buddha Shakyamuni
Wooden Buddha sculpture, close-up of head and shoulders, with deeply downcast eyes, elongated earlobes, and rows of textured curled hair surmounted by a pointed ushnisha; worn red lacquer and gold leaf surface with visible age and flaking.
Artist or Maker
Unknown
Title
Buddha Shakyamuni
Place Made
Myanmar (Burma)
Date Made
circa 12th-13th century
Medium
Wood, possibly with lacquer, and traces of gilding
Dimensions
69 x 24 x 18 in. (175.3 x 61.0 x 45.7 cm)
Credit Line
Art Museum Council Fund
Accession Number
M.91.76
Classification
Sculpture
Collecting Area
South and Southeast Asian Art
Curatorial Notes
This large standing Buddha Shakyamuni was made during the Pagan period during a major florescence of Burmese art. It is a rare extant image made of wood in a style more commonly associated with contemporaneous copper alloy and stone representations. He has the standard iconographic features of snail-curl hair and elongated earlobes. His right hand is held in the gesture of reassurance (abhaya mudra). His left hand is a replacement that is extended with the palm turned upward. The original hand likely held the hem of his robe. Radiocarbon analyses date the head to 1100-1250 and the separately made body to 668-962 CE, suggesting that the overall sculpture was created at the time the head was carved with a body made from a much older tree. (Brown 2013, Artibus Asiae 73:1, pp. 220-222, figs. 1-2)
Selected Bibliography
  • 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.