Description
This bronze standing Buddha, attributed to the 8th-century Mon style of central Thailand, features a “wet garment” robe reflecting post-Gupta influences. The face displays classic Mon traits: rounded form, broad nose, and continuous arched eyebrows. Clockwise hair curls and three neck lines symbolize the “Great Man” in Buddhist iconography. The right arm is raised in a teaching gesture. Due to monument abandonment and sculpture displacement, linking this image to a specific site is difficult. Many bronzes from this era were lost or repurposed, making surviving examples rare.
Provenance
With Woods-Dorp est., Fine Arts of Asia, Vaduz, Liechtenstein by Dec. 1, 1972 [this and the following according to invoice from Fine Arts of Asia, Dec. 1, 1972; copy in curatorial object file]; sold to James W. Alsdorf (1913–1990) and Marilynn B. Alsdorf (1925–2019), Winnetka, IL, Dec. 1, 1972; by descent to Marilynn B. Alsdorf, Chicago, IL, 1990 [on long-term loan at the Art Institute of Chicago, Sept. 17, 1997; publicly promised as a gift to the Art Institute of Chicago, 1997; signed a promised gift agreement for the work, Mar. 11, 2002]; given to the Art Institute of Chicago, Nov. 15, 2016.
Standing Buddha with Hand in Gesture of Teaching (<em>Vitarkamudra</em>)
Mon period, 8th century
Accession Number
149846
Medium
Bronze
Dimensions
52 × 15.1 × 12.4 cm (20 1/4 × 4 7/8 × in.)
Classification
bronze
Credit Line
Gift of Marilynn B. Alsdorf
