Buddha on three elephants. Burma, kingdom of Ava, 17th century.

Buddha on three elephants. Burma, kingdom of Ava, XVII century.
Bronze.
Finished with red lacquer and gold.
Good condition for its age. Some cracks. Restored at the base.
Measurements: 57 cm x 30 cm x 15 cm.

Bronze of quality and fineness representing Buddha performing the mudra Bhumisparsha, seated on three elephants. In Buddhism, the elephant is considered an earthly manifestation of the qualities of wisdom and serenity embodied by the Buddha himself. The figure adopts the posture of the lotus flower and performs the mudra symbolizing that it takes the earth as its witness. The symmetry of his physiognomic features express serenity, the closed eyelids indicate meditation, the elongated earlobes denote nobility and wisdom. The carefully carved headdress is inspired by the shape of a stupa. The bhumi sparsha mudra ('gesture of touching the Earth', being bhumi: 'the planet Earth'; and sparsha: 'to touch') represents the moment when Buddha solved the problem of ending suffering when he was under the Bodhi tree.