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Burma/Myanmar
Pre-Mandalay Period,
Late 18th or Early 19th Century
Carved wood, lacquered and gilded, with mirror inlay
h. 19 7/8 in.
w. 11 13/16 in.
d. 8 3/4 in.
Gift of Konrad and
Sarah Bekker, 1987
BC87.01.06.00
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| Figure seated in position of royal ease with sinister knee raised. Sitting upright with chest slightly forward and to the sinister side. Sinister elbow resting against and in front of sinister knee with forearm and hand curved towards dexter foot. Dexter arm is bent with hand raised as if holding an object, which is now missing. A short wooden column joining upper leg and elbow supports elbow. Feet and toes are carved in detail. Wears regal attire and bracelets. Headdress is waited and has flame-like motif on top. Large flame-like motif extends upward and backward. Regal attire, bracelets and headdress were originally lacquered, gilded and inlayed. Panel of cloth hanging down from waist in front of figure rests on the ground and dexter leg lies over cloth panel. Face has ogre-like features. Nose is large and round. Large mouth with teeth bared and there are two large fangs extending upward over lip. Inlayed and gilded flame or leaf-like patterns around the eyes and around entire mouth cover almost the entire face. Phalanges on ears were also originally gilded and inlayed. Seated on a base, which does not extend beyond figure, plain oval and flat 1-inch disk. Base is carved out of same piece of wood as figure. White substance present on dexter foreleg/pants. Three and part of a fourth set of impressions consisting of six sots in a circle and one in the center are impressed on the chest. These impressions do not appear on BC 87.1.5. This figure is one of a pair, see BC 87.1.5. They are almost exactly the same except the stances of each are reversed. There is a line of red lacquer or paint on the waisted part of the headdress. Inlay consists of large chunky pieces of glass cut in triangles, squares and rectangles. They are green, opaque and yellow. Because of the color and large size of the glass pieces as well as the more crude craftsmanship and the way most pieces of inlay are surrounded by bands may indicate these images are pre-Mandalay period, late 18th century or early 19th century. |
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