{"product_id":"monumentale-bronzen-boeddha-muchalinda-thailand-13e-14e-eeuw-122-cm","title":"Monumental Thai Naga-Protected Buddha Muchalinda – 122 cm Bronze – c. 13th–14th Century","description":"\u003ch2\u003eA 122 cm bronze built around the Muchalinda narrative\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe scale is the first exceptional feature of this Thai bronze. Shakyamuni sits above the coils of Muchalinda while a monumental seven-headed naga canopy rises behind him. The right hand descends in \u003cstrong\u003eBhumisparsha mudra\u003c\/strong\u003e; the left remains in the lap. The serpent is therefore not simply a base but the structural framework of the entire image.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eDating and stylistic position\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe broad concept has a clear relationship with the celebrated Grahi Buddha tradition associated with Chaiya in southern Thailand. This example is not a mechanical copy of that earlier model. Its elongated nose, strongly arched brows, half-closed eyes, controlled smile and tall leaf-like crown suggest a later Thai development in which older Chaiya and Khmer-derived elements were reworked within an emerging central Thai idiom.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOn current evidence, we place the sculpture provisionally in the \u003cstrong\u003elate 13th to 14th century\u003c\/strong\u003e, potentially within an early U-Thong-related environment. That remains a responsible working attribution, not a laboratory-certified date.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eTechnical evidence preserved inside\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe hollow casting retains a remarkable quantity of original core material: iron-rich red-orange clay, grey reduced areas, organic temper and surviving metal core supports. The naga canopy is separately constructed and exceptionally heavy, estimated at approximately 35–40 kg. These surviving interior features allow the manufacturing sequence to be studied far more directly than on a sealed bronze.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMicroscopic examination also reveals successive surface histories. Beneath the present brown patina are ochre preparation layers and tiny metallic gold remnants compatible with an earlier gilded finish. UV examination shows heterogeneous residues from older organic coatings. Later repair and stabilisation around the canopy attachment can be separated visually from those historic layers.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eAn unusual forehead mark\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eA five-ring urna arrangement appears on the forehead, with one central circle surrounded by four smaller rings. It is not a standard feature of most Thai Buddhas and remains one of the sculpture's most intriguing iconographic details.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eObject record\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cul\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eOrigin:\u003c\/strong\u003e Thailand\u003c\/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWorking date:\u003c\/strong\u003e late 13th–14th century\u003c\/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMaterial:\u003c\/strong\u003e hollow-cast bronze \/ copper alloy\u003c\/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSubject:\u003c\/strong\u003e Buddha protected by Muchalinda\u003c\/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eGesture:\u003c\/strong\u003e Bhumisparsha mudra\u003c\/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHeight:\u003c\/strong\u003e 122 cm\u003c\/li\u003e\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe ensemble retains deep layered patina, historic handling wear and old contact evidence around the naga assembly. Its asymmetry, original core and multi-phase surface are central to its value as both a major display bronze and a research object.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"1stbuddha","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":58340741939531,"sku":"752","price":295000.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1012\/6170\/5547\/files\/monumentale-bronzen-buddha-muchalinda-thailand-13e-14e-eeuw-122cm.jpg?v=1788363310","url":"https:\/\/1stbuddha.com\/products\/monumental-thai-muchalinda-buddha-122-cm-bronze-13th-14th-century","provider":"1stbuddha","version":"1.0","type":"link"}