A LARGE COPPER ALLOY HEAD OF BUDDHA NORTHERN THAILAND, LAN NA KINGDOM, 15TH CENTURY

A LARGE COPPER ALLOY HEAD OF BUDDHA
NORTHERN THAILAND, LAN NA KINGDOM, 15TH CENTURY
15 3/4 in. (40 cm) high
Footnotes:
泰國北部 蘭納王朝 十五世紀 銅佛首

This exceptional bronze hails from the northern Thai kingdom of Lan Na. Most of its Sukhothai-inspired features are faithfully adhered to, such as its oval head, heart-shaped hairline, 'beaked' nose, and incised lips. However, the removable finial, less upswept eyes, and the fuller lips of his mouth, more prominent philtrum, and dimpled corners exhibit some 'northern' fine-tuning (cf. Stratton, Buddhist Sculpture of Northern Thailand, 2004, p. 274).

See other Sukhothai examples dated between the second half of the 14th and 15th centuries in the Walters Art Museum, Baltimore (54.2520), the Sawanvoranayok National Museum, Sukhothai (Rooney, Ancient Sukhothai, 2008, p. 198), and a Walking Buddha in stucco at Wat Phra Si Rattana Mahathat (Stratton, 2004, fig. 7.79, p. 187). Also see two northern Sukhothai images, one of a seated Buddha and a Walking Buddha dated by inscription to 1427 (ibid., pp. 187-9, figs. 7.77, 7.78 & 7.80-1).

Provenance:
Private Collection, Palm Beach
Sotheby's, New York, 23 March 1995, lot 101
Private Collection, New Jersey