Thailand, Sukhothai period, 15th century

Buddhist literature dictates four positions in which the Buddha can be portrayed - sitting, standing, reclining and walking. While seated or standing images are prolific, reclining and walking depictions are more rare, making this exquisite bronze figure of a walking Buddha particularly important. By the fourteenth century in Thailand the walking Buddha, which had previously been relegated to relief sculpture, becomes depicted in the round. The Chalieng stucco relief dated to the late thirteenth century illustrates the stylistic form out of which later three-dimensional works, such as the present figure, emerged (C. Stratton and M. McNair Scott, The Art of Sukhothai: Thailand's Golden Age, Kuala Lumpur, 1981, p.68, fig.57). Compare the long oval faces with arched eyebrows joined just above the long protruding nose. The thin lips are slightly upturned in a subtle smile, the chins are rounded and defined. The curls of the hair tight and thick, the hairline low on the forehead. The modeling of the long undulant bodies are similarly understood, with special emphasis on broad rounded shoulders which appear pulled back, allowing the chest to protrude. The hands of the stucco relief are now lost, but would have mimicked the present work with the right arm swaying in an almost serpentine fashion and the left rising in abhayamudra. The elongated legs with thick rounded thighs give way to narrow calves, echoing the shape of the torsos. The left leg is straight, planted firmly on the ground while the right leg bends, lifting the heel as the Buddha steps forward. The figures both wear ankle-length diaphanous robes draped over their left shoulders with a sash dangling down their chests. In contrast to the flat hem and pleated sash of the relief figure, the robe of the present work has a billowing hem and flat fishtail sash, further adding to the figure’s movement.
Portraying the Buddha as a three dimensional figure was well suited to the use of bronze in place of stucco. Stratton and McNair Scott note, “Bronze casting must have come as a natural development for these Sukhothai sculptors who were already skilled in the art of modeling stucco” (ibid. p.73). Sukhothai period bronze images of the walking Buddha, particularly those of large size and exceptional quality like the present example, are extremely rare. The majority of the known examples are in museums. Compare the present figure with monumental fourteenth-century bronze walking Buddha in Wat Benjamabopit, Bangkok (ibid. p.75, fig.65). Both works display nearly identical modeling and emphasis on exaggerated proportions, making the Buddha appear almost boneless, moving with water-like fluidity. For further comparison, see a bronze walking Buddha in the Asian Civilizations Museum, Singapore (1999-01714).