BEEINDRUCKEND GROßE FIGUR DES ERLEUCHTETEN BUDDHA. Burma/Myanmar. Mandalay. Datiert 1876. Bronze mit Resten von Vergoldung und Lack. This life-size bronze sculpture depicts Buddha Shakyamuni in the moment before his Enlightenment. After defeating the fierce assaults of the armies of Mara, god of death and desire,and resisting the seductions of Mara's sensuous daughters, Shakyamuni's right hand touches the earth (bhumisparsha mudra) to call her as witness to his victory. The origins of this image can be traced back to a famous Buddha sculpture in the Mahabodhi temple at Bodhgaya. By the 11thcentury, Bodhgaya had become the most important site for Buddhists in India. After all, this was the place where Buddha Shakyamuni experienced enlightenment. The great King Aniruddha of Pagan (ruled 1044-1077), a devoted Buddhist, so admired the Mahabodhi temple, that he had his royalseals engraved with an image of this temple. In the early 13thcentury a temple was founded in Pagan that closely resembles the temple in Bodhgaya. Aniruddha also commissioned numerous stone and bronze images of the Buddha, many of them in bhumisparsha mudra. Stylistically these 11th century sculptures closely follow their Bodhgaya models. Henceforth this image became one of the most popular depictions of Buddhain Burma and throughout Southeast Asia. The Burmese Buddhists follow the Theravada tradition. "Relics, their finding, propagation and use, became a constant feature of later Theravada Buddhism in Southeast Asia. The desire for primary texts, correctly ordained monks and Buddha relics is based on the notion that the validity and effectiveness of the relic objects, teachings and monks . are determined by how 'close' they are to the historical Buddha. This search, then, for pure and true texts, monks and relics, initiated primarily underAniruddha's reign, became characteristic of Burmese and ThaiBuddhism" (1). Robert Brown (2) recounts how important Bodhgaya remainedfor Burmese Buddhists until the 19th century: "In 1830 the king ofBurma sent a diplomatic mission to India, then governed by theBritish who had successfully waged several military campaignsin Burma. The delegation remained in India for three years,during which they visited Bodhgaya, discovering the Burmeseinscription of the thirteenth-century Burmese mission., witnessinga miracle and taking several sprouts from the bodhi tree. Later inCalcutta they requested a Pala period sculpture of the Buddhafrom Bodhgaya. The mission returned to Burma having failed tonegotiate a favourable political agreement with the British, but themission was considered a great success by the Burmese becausethey returned with the tree cuttings and the Buddha image".Soon afterwards, in 1857, the rulers of the Konbaung dynasty established the new capital of Burma in Mandalay. Its founder,King Mindon (ruled 1853 - 1878) was a pious royal patron of thehighest order. A treatise upon royal administration since 1044singles out only seven monarchs over an 800 year period as "having distinguished themselves to an exceptional degree by truly following their kingly duty of supporting and promoting Buddhism" (3).King Mindon was amongst the selected.This supremely beautiful bronze sculpture is dated by an inscriptionon the front of its base to the last years of King Mindon's reign: "We make reverent offering of the image of Buddha of copper. This is the work of merit of U Yan Htar and Ma Baung, [in the] year 1876" (4). We do not have any information on the donors,but the superlative quality of this bronze suggests that it was pro-duced in a royal workshop. Buddha sits in the lotus position on a plain base. Inserted iron pegs with rings indicate that this image might have been carried in festive processions. His eyes are half-closed in meditation, his head slightlytilts forward. His body is draped in a heavy monk's robe coveringhis left shoulder while leaving the right bare. His right hand is in theearth-touching gesture, while his left, separately cast, rests in his lap.The noble calmness and sublime spirituality make this sculpture oneof the great masterpieces of Buddhist sculpture from Burma.(1) Brown, R.L. (1988). "Bodhgaya and Southeast Asia". In: Leoshko, J.(ed.). Bodhgaya - The site of Enlightenment. Bombay. P. 104.(2) Brown, R.L. (1988). As above. P. 123.(3) Herbert, P. (1998). "An Illustrated Record of Royal Donations". In: Pichard, P. et Robinne, F., Études birmanes en hommage à Denise Bernot. Études thématiques 9. Paris. P.89.(4) We appreciate the translation by the late Henry Ginsburg, British Library, London.. Höhe 114cm. Zustand A/B. Provenienz:-Privatsammlung Hong Kong.-Privatsammlung Belgien, seit 2009-Art Loss Register Certificate, ref. S00028976.Publiziert:-Michael Woerner, Oriental Art 2009, S. 28-33. Erläuterungen zum KatalogAsiatika - Südostasien 19. Jahrhundert Buddhistische Kunst Bronze Myanmar/BurmaTHE ENLIGHTENED BUDDHAIMPRESSIVE LARGE FIGURE OF THE ENLIGHTENED BUDDHAMyanmar/Burma. Mandalay. Dated 1876. Bronze with traces of gilding and lacquer. Height 114cm. Condition A/B.This life-size bronze sculpture depicts Buddha Shakyamuni in the moment before his Enlightenment. After defeating the fierce assaults of the armies of Mara, god of death and desire, and resisting the seductions of Mara's sensuous daughters, Shakyamuni's right hand touches the earth (bhumisparsha mudra) to call her as witness to his victory. The origins of this image can be traced back to a famous Buddha sculpture in the Mahabodhi temple at Bodhgaya. By the 11th century, Bodhgaya had become the most important site for Buddhists in India. After all, this was the place where Buddha Shakyamuni experienced enlightenment.The great King Aniruddha of Pagan (ruled 1044-1077), a devoted Buddhist, so admired the Mahabodhi temple, that he had his royal seals engraved with an image of this temple. In the early 13th century a temple was founded in Pagan that closely resembles the temple in Bodhgaya. Aniruddha also commissioned numerous stone and bronze images of the Buddha, many of them in bhumisparsha mudra. Stylistically these 11th century sculptures closely follow their Bodhgaya models. Henceforth this image became one of the most popular depictions of Buddha in Burma and throughout Southeast Asia.The Burmese Buddhists follow the Theravada tradition. "Relics, their finding, propagation and use, became a constant feature of later Theravada Buddhism in Southeast Asia. The desire for primary texts, correctly ordained monks and Buddha relics is based on the notion that the validity and effectiveness of the relic objects, teachings and monks are determined by how 'close' they are to the historical Buddha. This search, then, for pure and true texts, monks and relics, initiated primarily under Aniruddha's reign, became characteristic of Burmese and Thai Buddhism" (1). Robert Brown (2) recounts how important Bodhgaya remained for Burmese Buddhists until the 19th century: "In 1830 the king of Burma sent a diplomatic mission to India, then governed by the