AN EARLY BRONZE FRAGMENT OF BUDDHA, PYU KINGDOM Burma, 8^th-9^th century. Cast seated in vajrasana on a pedestal, his right hand in bhumisparsha mudra, his left resting on his lap, wearing a monastic robe, the face with a serene expression, heavy-lidded downcast eyes, gently arched eyebrows, a broad nose, and full lips. The hair worked in tight curls and surmounted by a conical ushnisha.

Provenance: French trade.
Condition: Condition commensurate with age and still presenting remarkably well for an excavated bronze from this period. Extensive wear, weathering and corrosion, significant losses, remnants of countless layers of old lacquer from different periods, structural cracks, some dents and nicks.

Weight: 6,024 g
Dimensions: Height 37 cm

The Pyu kingdom flourished in central and northern Burma from the early years B.C. to about 832, when Halin, the capital, was sacked by forces of the southern Chinese Nanchao kingdom. The sculpture displays a fluidity of modeling, with an emphasis on soft, flowing volumes rather than a linear development of form, which is only seen in very early Southeast Asian sculpture.

Literature comparison:
Compare a related bronze figure of a Buddha, dated to the Pyu period, 8^th to 9^th century, Burma, in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, accession number: 2006.53.