Ca. 19th century Laos seated Charity Buddha on ornate pedestal. The large lotus flower ushnisha protuberance on top of his head, typical of Laos art, symbolizes his high level of spiritual development. The Buddha has a peaceful countenance with downcast introspective eyes and a firm brow. His earlobes are stretched long from a youth spent as a prince wearing heavy gold earrings. Holding an open alms bowl this posture is a reminder of the duty of the monks to follow Buddha’s ideal of detachment and poverty and to go each day to receive food from the hands of the believers. It represents charity and compassion. After four years of his ministry, Buddha went to his family community in Kapilavatsu (town in Nepal) to collect offerings from the people there. The following day, he went back and presented himself at the palace of the king, his father, so that the members of the royal family could, hostility being put aside, make their food offerings.Please contact us for high resolution images of the piece.