Provenance:
Spink & Son Ltd, London
The Kronos Collections, acquired in the early 1980s
Published:
Martin Lerner, The Flame and the Lotus, Indian and Southeast Asian Art from The Kronos Collections, Metropolitan Museum of Art exhibition catalogue, New York, 1984, no. 13, cover illus.
Exhibited:
“The Flame and the Lotus,” The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, September 20, 1984-March 3, 1985
The finest Sinhalese art dates to the Anuradhapura period. Unfortunately, relatively few bronze sculptures from this period have survived, and those extant must be considered precious evidence of a once glorious past. This small Buddha from the Anuradhapura period sits in the half-lotus posture (virasana), his right leg over his left. His hands rest on his lap in the attitude of meditation (dhyanamudra). The monastic garments are arranged so as to leave the right shoulder bare, and the drapery folds are indicated by precise incised lines. The neck has the trivali markings (the three auspicious beauty folds) and the hair, arranged in small curls, covers a high ushnisha (cranial protuberance symbolizing transcendent wisdom).
The masterful combining of smoothly flowing volumes and beautifully-proportioned, superbly-articulated forms is impressive. The chest swells upward to the gently sloping yet powerful shoulders. The proportions of the legs and the wide angle of the spread knees suggest that the legs are extraordinarily long but in perfect harmony with the rest of the body. The expression on the face is quite remarkable—neither stern nor welcoming but, rather, impersonal and devoid of emotion, it is the expression of a being who has reached a higher plane of cosmic consciousness.