Seated Buddha. Burma, now Myanmar, XVIII-XIX centuries.

Seated Buddha. Burma, now Myanmar, XVIII-XIX centuries.
In carved and gilded wood.
Measurements: 66 x 34 x 26 cm.
Round sculpture in bronze, from Burma (now Myanmar) and dated between the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. It represents Buddha seated in lotus flower position, with several "lakshana", iconographic symbols that identify the Buddhas and bodhisattvas. The first we see is the bun hairstyle, symbol of meditation, concentrated spiritual life and wisdom. Above the headdress, a flame symbolizes the light of enlightenment. The eyelids are a symbol of spiritual concentration and purity, because of their similarity to the petals of the lotus, and complete a serene face with a sketched smile, symbol of the balance and serenity of a perfect being. The elongated lobes of the ears allude to the large earrings worn by members of the upper classes in India contemporary to Sakyamuni, and represent the concepts of greatness, nobility and wisdom.