A LARGE PAGAN STYLE BRONZE FIGURE OF BUDDHA SHAKYAMUNIBurma / Myanmar, 19th century. Seated in maravijaya with the right hand lowered in bhumisparsa mudra and the left resting in his lap, wearing a sanghati draped over his left shoulder. His serene face with downcast eyes, arched brows, and full lips, flanked by long pendulous earlobes, the hair arranged in tight curls and surmounted by a flaming ushnisha. The back with part of a tang, three spurs to underside. With a fitted wood base.Condition: Good condition with some old wear and casting flaws, minor nicks, and dents. Provenance: Austrian private collection. Weight: 21 kg Dimensions: Height 49 cm (Inc. the base), width 37.5 cm (Inc. the base)The Kingdom of Pagan was the first Burmese kingdom to unify the regions that would later constitute modern-day Myanmar. Pagan's 250-year rule over the Irrawaddy valley and its periphery laid the foundation for the ascent of Burmese language and culture, the spread of Bamar ethnicity in Upper Myanmar, and the growth of Theravada Buddhism in Myanmar and in mainland Southeast Asia. The Burmese language and culture gradually became dominant in the upper Irrawaddy valley, eclipsing the Pyu, Mon, and Pali norms by the late 12th century. Theravada Buddhism slowly began to spread to the village level although Tantric, Mahayana, Brahmanic, and animist practices remained heavily entrenched at all social strata. Pagan's rulers built over 10,000 Buddhist temples in the Bagan Archaeological Zone of which over 2,000 remain today. The wealthy donated tax-free land to religious authorities. The kingdom went into decline in the mid-13th century as the continuous growth of tax-free religious wealth by the 1280s had severely affected the crown's ability to retain the loyalty of courtiers and military servicemen. This ushered in a vicious circle of internal disorders and external challenges by the Arakanese, Mons, Mongols and Shans. Repeated Mongol invasions between 1277 and 1301 toppled the four-century-old kingdom.