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.

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.

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: Los Angeles County Museum of Art Members' Calendar 1992, vol. 29-30, no. 12-1 (December, 1991-January, 1993).
Brown, Robert L. "Selections From the Southeast Asian Art Collection of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art." Arts of Asia 38 (3): 75-87 (May-June 2008)
Brown, Robert L. 2013. Three wood Buddha sculptures from Myanmar (Burma) in the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Artibus Asiae 73(1): 219-29.
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.

Related Unframed

Unknown
Buddha Shakyamunicirca 12th-13th century

On view:

Resnick Pavilion, floor 1

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: Los Angeles County Museum of Art Members' Calendar 1992, vol. 29-30, no. 12-1 (December, 1991-January, 1993).
Brown, Robert L. "Selections From the Southeast Asian Art Collection of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art." Arts of Asia 38 (3): 75-87 (May-June 2008)
Brown, Robert L. 2013. Three wood Buddha sculptures from Myanmar (Burma) in the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Artibus Asiae 73(1): 219-29.
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.