Buddha of Northern Thailand, Chiang Saen, 15th-16th centuries

Buddha of Northern Thailand, Chiang Saen, XV-XVI centuries.
Bronze.
Intense green patina.
Good state of preservation.
It has a crack in the neck, slightly bent throne.
Measurements: 51,5 x 36 x 15 cm.

Great sculpture from the north of Thailand, belonging to the school of Chiang Saen, an enclave with important Buddhist temples. It represents a Buddha seated on a throne emulating a soft cushion that in turn takes the form of a lotus. He also adopts the posture of the lotus flower and performs a mudra that symbolizes that he takes the earth as a witness. It is called Bhumisparsa mudra, or gesture of touching the earth. It alludes to the moment in which Buddha solved the problem of ending suffering when he was under the tree in Bodhi-Gaya. We can also identify numerous lakshana, iconographic symbols that identify the Buddhas. The first we see is the bun hairstyle, symbol of meditation, of spiritual life (inspired by a stupa). Together with the half-closed eyes, a serene face is completed by the sketched smile, symbol of the balance and serenity of a perfect being. The elongated earlobes allude to the large earrings worn by members of the upper classes in India at the time of Sakyamuni, and represent the concepts of greatness, nobility and wisdom.