After the destruction of Ayutthaya in 1767 by the Burmese, King Tak Sin the Great drove out the invaders and reunified the country. He also established a new capital at Thonburi, a strategic river port town at the mouth of the Chao Phraya River. After Tak Sin was deposed, Thong Duang was chosen as king (becoming known as Rama I) and established the Chakri Dynasty which continues to reign over Thailand to this day. He moved the capital across the banks of the Chao Phraya River to its present location of Bangkok. The art of this period is known as the Rattanakosin style, although it is also referred to as the Bangkok style. Naturally, Rattanakosin art carried on many of the traditions of the Ayutthayan style, thereby establishing an important link with the past.Buddha Gautama Sakyamuni is the Buddha of compassion who, having achieved the highest evolutionary perfection, turns suffering into happiness for all living beings. Born around 560 B.C. somewhere between the hills of south Nepal and the Rapti river, his father was a Raja who ruled over the northeastern province of India, the district including the holy Ganges River. The young prince was married to Yashoda when he was about 17 years old and together they had a son named Rahula. However, at the age of 29 he abandoned his life of luxury, as he felt compelled to purify his body and make it an instrument of the mind by ridding himself of earthly impulses and temptations.This gorgeous gilt wood Buddha is seated in the dhyanasana position, high upon a tiered base. With his hands the Buddha forms the bhumisparsa mudra, which can be literally translated as the gesture of touching the earth in which the Buddha touches the ground in order to call on the earth to witness his enlightenment. Calm and serene, he looks downwards with half closed eyes. The Buddha's distinctive tightly curled hairstyle is typical of Thai representations. A flame of enlightenment rises from the top of his ushnisa, an eminence symbolic of the Buddha's infinite wisdom. The sculptor has masterfully moulded the subtle folds of flesh around his neck, again indicative of the spiritual fullness and inner peace embodied by the Buddha. The Buddha wears a robe decorated in floral motifs, a type specific to the Rattanakosin era from the reign of Rama III onward (1824 A.D.). This sculpture is a truly spectacular representation of one of history's greatest religious figures. - (X.0259)

Sculpture