Seated Bronze Buddha in Gandhara Style with Halo, Thailand, Early 20th Century – 56 cm

Standing 56.5 cm tall and weighing 17.2 kg, this seated bronze Buddha was cast in Thailand in the early 20th century, in a deliberate homage to the ancient art of Gandhara. It was made by the lost-wax method, and the original clay core still sits inside the base. A large openwork halo, beaded and leaf-patterned and carried on a spoked wheel, frames the head. The tall octagonal throne stands on twisted columns, and between them squat dwarf atlantes (yakshas) who carry the throne on their shoulders – a motif taken straight from the Gandharan repertoire.

Seated with legs crossed, the Buddha raises both hands before the chest in dharmachakra mudra, turning the Wheel of the Law as at his first sermon in the Deer Park at Sarnath. Wavy hair sweeps up into a stepped ushnisha; the urna on the brow, the half-closed eyes and the long earlobes give the face a quiet inwardness. The robe covers both shoulders and falls in heavy ribbed folds, echoing the Gandharan Buddhas of the first centuries CE.

A brown patina warms to a brassy sheen on the high points, polished by generations of hands. Old dirt rests deep in the recesses, and small copper-green spots bloom in the folds of the base – the honest marks of a long life that give this statue its character.

We ship a statue of this weight carefully packed, and collection is welcome too. Please get in touch to arrange delivery.

Specifications

• Origin: Thailand, Gandhara style
• Date: early 20th century
• Material: bronze, lost-wax cast, original clay core inside the base
• Posture: seated, dharmachakra mudra (teaching)
• Height × width: 56.5 × 37.5 cm
• Statue weight: 17.2 kg
• SKU: 873

Each object is examined before it is offered: material, casting or carving technique, surface, and signs of age are compared with documented references. You will receive a certificate of authenticity and an official invoice detailing the period, material, and available provenance.

How we verify authenticity

Fully insured worldwide shipping in museum-quality packaging. Returns are sent to our Dutch address and you have a 14-day cooling-off period.

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