| Antique
South East Asian Carving
Meditating
Buddha
Turning Dharma Wheel
Signature: unsigned, early
1900S' H
6 in.(15cm), W 3.25 in.(8cm), D 1.1 in.(2.6cm)
Condition: excellent! A
fine carving of Buddha in Dharmachakra mudra, the gesture of setting the Wheel
of the Law in motion, depicting Buddha’s first sermon after his illumination.
Carved from ivory marked with wavy lines and striations, gold in color, with an
allover patina of age. Buddha is seated in full lotus posture, simply clothed,
with downcast eyes that are open to inner light, before an ornamented aureole
around which flutter two devas, symbolizing the perfection of effort. At the base
of the aureole are two elephants, indicating perfection of concentration and two
lions symbolizing perfection of wisdom. Below the platform on which the Buddha
is seated are five prayerful figures. Two deer represent the deer of Sarnath,
who are seen on either side of a chakra as one of the main emblems of Buddhist
teaching. The gentleness and grace of deer represent the qualities of the true
renunciate, as does its lifestyle as a homeless wanderer never resting in the
same place twice. Carved on the back with a pattern resembling the trunk of a
palm, a paradisiacal tree.
Private Collection
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