작품 상세

[TWO LARGE THAI STANDING BRONZE BUDDHA]. Patinated bronze with traces of gilding, inset marble and glass eyes. 17th century. Late Ayutthaya style. 76" x 13 3/4" x 13 3/4" 74" x 12" x 12". Provenance: French Private Collection; Carlton Rochell Asian Art, purchased June 2008; The Estate of Peter H. Tillou, Litchfield, Connecticut. The Ayutthaya Kingdom flourished in Southeast Asia, primarily in modern day Thailand, from the 1280s to 1767. It centered around the city of Ayutthaya and is considered to be the precursor of modern Thailand and thus its developments are an important part of the history and identity of the Thai people. The Ayutthaya emerged from a group of city-states in the Lower Chao Phraya Valley in the late fourteenth century during the decline of the Khmer Empire. After a century of territorial expansions, Ayutthaya became centralized and rose as a major power. By 1600, the kingdom's vassals included some city-states in the Malay Peninsula, Sukhothai, Lan Na and parts of Burma and Cambodia. In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, the Ayutthaya emerged as a center for international trade and in particular the reign of Narai (r. 1657–1688) was known for the historic contact between the Siamese court and Europeans; most notably the 1686 Siamese diplomatic mission to the court of King Louis XIV of France. The late Ayutthaya period was described as a "golden age" of Siamese culture and saw the rise in predominance of trade and political and cultural influence. The present two Buddha images derive from the late Ayutthaya period and exhibit the characteristic diaphanous robe falling to either side of the mid-calf, oval faces, a flame on top of the ushnisha (prominent bump on the top of Buddha's head), and small lines carved above the upper lip, above the eyes, and to delineate the chin. The slightly larger figure displays the gesture of “Forbidding Relatives from Fighting” while the slightly smaller figure displays the gesture of “Calming the Ocean”.

재료

Bronze