THAILAND, U THONG A STYLE, 14TH CENTURY

Details

A Large Bronze Figure of Buddha
Thailand, U Thong A Style, 14th Century
Well cast with his right hand raised in abhaya mudra and modeled with a stylized chakra of concentric circles, wearing a diaphanous robe slightly flared at the bottom and secured with a sash around the waist, his face with a serene expression surmounted by a conical ushnisha, with a rich variegated patina of green and brown
31 in. (78.7 cm.) high

Provenance

Acquired before 1975

Lot Essay

'U Thong' generally refers to ateliers in central Thailand working in styles evolving from Mon, Khmer, and Lopburi tradition, before the institution of the new center of Ayutthya in 1351.
Apart from the distinct facial features with the eyebrows and nose forming a graphic 'T'-shape, the smooth conical ushnisha is noteworthy; compare a head of Buddha from Suphan Buri, dated to the second half of the 13th century, in the U Thong National Museum, see J. Boisselier, The Heritage of Thai Sculpture, 1975, pl. 123, p. 164.

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