Standing crowned and bejeweled Buddha
Place of OriginCentral Thailand
Dateapprox. 1850-1900
MaterialsLacquered and gilded copper alloy
DimensionsH. 47 1/2 in x W. 11 1/2 in x D. 12 in, H. 120.6 cm x W. 29.2 cm x D. 30.5 cm
Credit LineGift from Doris Duke Charitable Foundation's Southeast Asian Art Collection
Object number2006.27.4
DepartmentSoutheast Asian Art
ClassificationsSculpture
On View
Not on viewIn Siam most standing crowned and bejeweled Buddha images with both hands raised palms outward seem to have had associations with ancestors, especially royal ancestors. In the reigns of both Rama I (1782-1809) and Rama III (1824- 1851) such images were dedicated to royal fathers and other relatives.
This image's crown has a removable, separately cast, upper part. Beneath the crown there is a finished chamber at the top of the head. Its purpose is not known: Perhaps it was intended to hold relics of a deceased person. But would the relics of a mortal person, even a king or a high-ranking monk, have been of sufficient status to be placed in the head of a Buddha image?
approx. 1875-1900
perhaps 1600-1700
1850-1900
Toyosawa Tomizo
possibly 1895
approx. 1800-1900
approx. 1100-1150
approx. 1850-1900
approx. 1950-1975
approx. 1100-1300