Seated crowned and bejeweled Buddha

The meanings of the crowned and bejeweled Buddha image are complex. They were no doubt interpreted differently in various places at various times by persons of various backgrounds and status. Burmese, Shan, and Siamese Buddha images in royal attire were sometimes associated with the legend of the Buddha's overcoming the arrogant monarch Jambupati, but other implications were also important.

The two inscriptions on the base of this image are in a script characteristic of a specific region of eastern Burma. Both express the wish of the donor, along with his wife, children, and relatives, to support the Buddhist religion and gain merit through the sponsorship of this image.

Though this image must once have resided in the particular Shan area where the script of its inscriptions was used, where it was in fact made is not certain. Dry lacquer images such as this, even when they are quite large, are hollow and not at all heavy. Because of this, they are relatively easy to transport from place to place. This image may have been made in another part of Burma and moved to its eventual home in the Shan area.