Handcarved Shan Buddha. Fragment. Gilt. Wood. 18th Century. Burma
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Though territorially part of Burma, the Shan States developed their own distinct artistic style. During the 18th century, Shan Buddha sculpture became particularly sophisticated and elegant. Finely and realistically molded, the face exudes sweetness and serenity.
The Tai-Shan (Tai Yai) people are belived to have migrated from Yunnan in China around the 11th Century into Burma. There they created the Shan States.
Though territorially part of Burma, the Shan States developed their own distinct artistic style. The first Shan Buddha images found there date back only to the 17th Century.
During the 18th century, Shan Buddha sculpture became particularly sophisticated and elegant. Finely and realistically molded, the face exudes sweetness and serenity.
Carved from a single piece of wood with a thick gilded patina on the upper portion.
You don’t see a Dhyana mudra gesture displayed on a Shan Buddha. But here it is a gesture of meditation and of the concentration of the Good Law.
Purchased from a “Shan” Buddha collector in Minnesota. It is thought to have come from the Shan Tai Buddhist Monastery, in Magok, District of Mandalay, Myanmar and possibly could have been housed in other monasteries over the last couple of centuries.
Historic piece for the Serious Collector. Stand not included.