Standing Buddha with his right hands raised in abbaya mudra

17th Century, Ayutthaya period

Gilt lacquered bronze with traces of lacquer

H38cm

Provenance: Private German collection, acquired in Frankfurt april 1960 at Frankfurter Münzhandlung, Frankfurt am Main

A elegant standing Buddha with his feet slightly apart on a tiered circular pedestal, his right hand raised in abbaya mudra (the gesture of dispelling fear) and his left hand pendant by his side. His face is very soft and smiling, with his eyes half closed, his hair is arranged in small curls beneath a domed chignon rising to a tall flame finial. The sanghati covers both shoulders with a broad belt and a central fold between the legs. The monastic robe is flowing in the air by two sides.

The bronze has extensive gilding, red and black lacquer on the surface.

This Buddha figure was created during the period pf Ayutthaya kingdom. The kingdom was founded in 1350 AD by King U Thong in the Chao Phraya River basin at the north of Bangkok. By the middle of the 15th century the kingdom extented to the majority of the territory of present-day Thailand. It was one of the richest and most powerful kingdoms ever in Southeast Asia until the Burmese attacked and burned its capitals in 1767. It attracted merchants and other visitors not only from neighbouring Asia countries but also from Europe.