Two rare figures of Sariputta and Moggallana

1^st half 19th century, Rattanakosin period

Bronze, cold gilded, H43cm (each)

Private Belgian collection since 2015

This pair of monks represents Sariputta and Moggallana, the Buddha’s two chief disciples. It belongs to a set of five monks, including three standing monks, who probably have been placed all together in the same temple as part of a shrine.

The monks are elegantly seated on their knees in a symmetrical fashion. They are slender with a youthful compassionate face, half closed eyes with visible pupils, the fingers long and fine, the hairdo shaven. Their robes fall with elegant pleats along their body.   

With two hands they delicately hold a bunch of grapes and a myrobalan fruit, which was used in the ayurvedic medicine as an anti-inflammatory and to heal wounds and scalds.

The thrones are bordered with pearls and nicely engraved with fine vertical lines.

You can only be touched by the sensitivity that emanates from this meditative temple sculpture.