Antique Jeweled Buddha Jambupati, Burma/Myanmar (3286DOSE)

Description

Throughout Burma/Myanmar Shakyamuni Buddha was depicted in lavish royal robes to illustrate the traditional story of King Jambupati and the Buddha. In traditional Theravada Buddhism, Buddha Statues are depicted in simple monks-robes as he renounced worldly goods and desires and rejected his princely heritage. Legend states the haughty King wished to be the world’s most powerful ruler world and threatened Buddha’s follower King Bimbisara. The Buddha appealed to Jambupati to forsake his evil ways and, when he refused, Buddha used his magical powers to turn himself into a “king-of-kings. Overwhelmed by the Buddha’s magnificence, the king renounced his throne and attained enlightenment as Buddha’s disciple. Buddha is depicted her as a king of kings in a lavish gilt court attire and elaborate faceted crown with huge butterfly-shaped flanges. His spiritual brilliance is further emphasized by the dazzling gilt covering his body and the small multi-colored bejeweled cut glass pieces inset on the fillet band, flanges, and his kingly garment. A large cone-shaped finial emerges from his ushnisha, and his pendulous ears frame his slightly smiling face. He looks directly at onlookers to demonstrate his strong spiritual and material power while seated in padmasana and left hand in his lap in meditation (dhyana mudra) and reaches his oversized right hand with even-lengthened fingers over his knee to touch the earth in bhumisparsha, the Earth Witnessing gesture to summon the demon-king Mara, who sought to deny him his awakening, to witness his enlightenment. He sits on a very high multi-tiered throne with inset bands of cut glass rimmed by gold edges and set in a crimson base, considered a sign of respect for his royal and spiritual position, especially in Southeast Asia where rulers had been revered as semi-divine figures. This story reinforces the belief that even the most powerful monarch must defer to and worship the Buddha, the “King of Kings.” The rare piece is in excellent condition with almost all the lacquer and inset glass and mirror decorations extant, while the bottom of the throne is slightly jagged reflecting its age and use.