The head belonged to a small group, now gathered in the Barakat collection (see LO.881 and LO.883), discovered in a sealed room in the cellar of an Anglican church in the  More »

The head belonged to a small group, now gathered in the Barakat collection (see LO.881 and LO.883), discovered in a sealed room in the cellar of an Anglican church in the city of Colombo in Ceylon, in 1998, when engineers were underpinning the foundations. The church originally belonged to the Catholic Portuguese, and was passed over to the Dutch Reformists in the first quarter of the 18th century.The style of the head would seem to place it just prior to the Dutch conquest. During the 16th and 17th centuries the practice of keeping the beard prevailed among the Roman Catholic clergy, especially amongst the foreign missionaries involved in the establishment of the Far Eastern Missions. This group of heads are stylistically affine to the early Jesuit and Franciscan iconography employed prevalently during the 17th century in India, after the foundation of the Catholic mission in Goa by St Francis Xavier, when not only the Christ but also saints, such as Saint Xavier and Thomas the Apostle, were often portrayed long-bearded.Furthermore, towards the end of the Catholic presence in Ceylon (ended 1658) wooden heads and large saintly figures were indeed used not only as votive images in churches, but also as didactic vehicles in the Natya Nadagam (Nativity) plays, to introduce the Christian religion to the indigenous public.The head beautifully painted still retains traces of where the thorn crown would have originally been placed, leaving no doubt on the identity of the wearer. and his message of sacrifice and salvation for mankind. - (LO.882)Wooden Head of Christ - LO.882Origin: Ceylon Circa: 1600ADto180ADDimensions: 13.5" (34.3cm) high x 7.5" (19.1cm) wide Collection: Portugese Style: Indo-Portuguese Medium: Wood, Gesso   « Less

The centerpiece depicts "Lot and his Daughters", the scene from the Old Testament where Lot's daughters attempt to get their father drunk and seduce him. The side panels are  More »

The centerpiece depicts "Lot and his Daughters", the scene from the Old Testament where Lot's daughters attempt to get their father drunk and seduce him. The side panels are copies of Albrecht Durer's famous life-size panels of Adam and Eve. - (CK.0535)Triptych Depicting Lot and his Daughters-CK.0535Origin:Europe Circa:19th Century ADDimensions: 11.75" (29.8cm) high x 28.375" (72.1cm) wide Collection: Decorative Arts Medium: Oil on Panel   « Less

Renaissance Style Altarpiece - CK.0554Origin: Europe Circa: 16 th Century AD to 19 th Century ADDimensions: 49" (124.5cm) high x 39" (99.1cm) wide Collection: Decorative Arts  More »

Renaissance Style Altarpiece - CK.0554Origin: Europe Circa: 16 th Century AD to 19 th Century ADDimensions: 49" (124.5cm) high x 39" (99.1cm) wide Collection: Decorative Arts Style: Florentine Medium: Oil on Panel, Wood   « Less

18th century carved polychrome santo figure of the Virgin and Child. Measures19 and one half inches high with a 11 inch base. Original surface with minor paint loss and minor  More »

18th century carved polychrome santo figure of the Virgin and Child. Measures19 and one half inches high with a 11 inch base. Original surface with minor paint loss and minor carving loss.   « Less

The Mandalay Period represents the last great cultural flourishing of Burmese art. The period was named after the city of Mandalay, which served as capital of Myanmar for a  More »

The Mandalay Period represents the last great cultural flourishing of Burmese art. The period was named after the city of Mandalay, which served as capital of Myanmar for a brief period (1860-1885 A.D.) during the reign of King Mindon. After the Anglo-Burmese Wars, northern Myanmar was shut off from the coastal areas that were controlled by the British. King Mindon founded the new capital at a sacred site at the foot of a large hill. The center of the city was designed in the perfect geometrical form of a Buddhist Mandala, giving the city its name. Although this short-lived kingdom finally fell to the British forces in 1886 A.D. during the Third Anglo-Burmese War, the Royal Guilds that created such remarkable works of art for the King remained in the city where they continued to produce sculptures in the Mandalay style.Posed in the characteristic seated, cross-legged position of meditation, his hands forming a Mudra, (the mystic ritual gesture signifying various powers), this serene bronze Buddha emanates a profound spiritual beauty. Two of the thirty-two superior physical marks that distinguish the Buddha--extended earlobes and a bulge atop the head signifying the Buddha's superior knowledge and consciousness--combine to create a radiant and mystical aura. Artistically inlaid eyes serve to accentuate this divine expression. The sculpted Samghati, (the monastic robe worn by the Buddha and members of the order), drapes gracefully across the Buddha's body, flowing like a series of soft, ethereal waves. To behold this bronze sculpture is to experience an artistic expression that indeed transcends the world of mere mortals. - (PF.2358)   « Less

The Shan people are a distinct ethnic group that today constitute Myanmar’s largest minority group. However, from the 13th until the 16th Century, they dominated most  More »

The Shan people are a distinct ethnic group that today constitute Myanmar’s largest minority group. However, from the 13th until the 16th Century, they dominated most of the country. They are largely Buddhist, and their language and customs are closely related to the Thai and Laotians their neighbors to the south and east. In the 19th Century, long after their power had eroded, they were distributed among thirty petty states that paid tribute first to the Burman King, then to the British. This arrangement remained more or less in tact until 1922 when the Federated Shan States were joined together. In 1947, a unified Shan States was created under the Burmese Constitution. Although much of their autonomy has been relinquished to the central government, the Shan retain their unique cultural identity and ethnic heritage.The historical figure, 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. At the age of 29, he left 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. The decoration adorned upon this marble bust of Buddha reveals its sacred nature. His half-closed, downward looking eyes that depict his serene state of being, further reinforced by his sweet smile. He also features a large pointed ushnisa, or bump, at the top of his head that symbolizes his divine enlightenment. The shape of this bump has been modeled after a typical Burmese stupa, the standard of religious architecture for Burmese Buddhists. The general appearance associated with the Buddha characterizes him partly as a noble human being and ideal ruler and partly as superhuman. The elegance and spirituality of the Buddha is well conceived in this work. - (X.0219)   « Less

The Mandalay Period represents the last great cultural flourishing of Burmese art. The period was named after the city of Mandalay, which served as capital of Myanmar for a  More »

The Mandalay Period represents the last great cultural flourishing of Burmese art. The period was named after the city of Mandalay, which served as capital of Myanmar for a brief period (1860-1885 A.D.) during the reign of King Mindon. After the Anglo-Burmese Wars, northern Myanmar was shut off from the coastal areas that were controlled by the British. King Mindon founded the new capital at a sacred site at the foot of a large hill. The center of the city was designed in the perfect geometrical form of a Buddhist Mandala, giving the city its name. Although this short-lived kingdom finally fell to the British forces in 1886 A.D. during the Third Anglo-Burmese War, the Royal Guilds that created such remarkable works of art for the King remained in the city where they continued to produce sculptures in the Mandalay style.In Myanmar, two disciples traditionally flank important representations of the Buddha. Their presence is historically inaccurate, considering that all of the Buddha’s friends had deserted him at the time of his enlightenment. However, it reflects a traditional Burmese Buddhist belief that the faith was introduced into Myanmar by two of his disciples during the Buddha’s lifetime. These two disciples begin to appear as early as the 11th Century A.D. and can be identified as two of the chief disciples Mogallana and Sariputta. Here, the two are depicted in their traditional representation: seated in relaxed poses of quiet contemplation. They wear simple robes consistent with the monastic order. Originally, they would have been placed nearby a larger sculpture of the Buddha himself inside an ornately decorated temple. They are always depicted slightly smaller than the Buddha in order to reveal their status as disciples. This lovely bronze pair of Mogallana and Sariputta features inlaid glass eyes in order to heighten the naturalism. Together, they represent an aspect of Buddhist art unique to Myanmar. - (X.0220)   « Less

The Shan people are a distinct ethnic group that today constitute Myanmar’s largest minority group. However, from the 13th until the 16th Century, they dominated most  More »

The Shan people are a distinct ethnic group that today constitute Myanmar’s largest minority group. However, from the 13th until the 16th Century, they dominated most of the country. They are largely Buddhist, and their language and customs are closely related to the Thai and Laotians their neighbors to the south and east. In the 19th Century, long after their power had eroded, they were distributed among thirty petty states that paid tribute first to the Burman King, then to the British. This arrangement remained more or less in tact until 1922 when the Federated Shan States were joined together. In 1947, a unified Shan States was created under the Burmese Constitution. Although much of their autonomy has been relinquished to the central government, the Shan retain their unique cultural identity and ethnic heritage.This magnificent marble head of the Buddha dates from the declining days of the Shan Period. Although the Buddha only dressed in monastic robes, here he is shown as the King of the Buddha, or the ruler of the universe. Iconographically, it bears much in common with a type known as the Subduer of Jambhupati. Specifically, the elaborate headdress with a conical peak that resembles a pagoda and two wing-like flanges is characteristic of both these types. Such images of the Buddha are specifically unique to Myanmar, where bejeweled, crowned representations of Bodhisattvas were not common as in other Buddhist countries. Thus, the Buddha, who abandoned his royal upbringing in order to seek the path of enlightenment, can now be seen as a King, not of earth, but of the heavens. - (X.0221)   « Less

The Shan people are a distinct ethnic group that today constitute Myanmar’s largest minority group. However, from the 13th until the 16th Century, they dominated most  More »

The Shan people are a distinct ethnic group that today constitute Myanmar’s largest minority group. However, from the 13th until the 16th Century, they dominated most of the country. They are largely Buddhist, and their language and customs are closely related to the Thai and Laotians their neighbors to the south and east. In the 19th Century, long after their power had eroded, they were distributed among thirty petty states that paid tribute first to the Burman King, then to the British. This arrangement remained more or less in tact until 1922 when the Federated Shan States were joined together. In 1947, a unified Shan States was created under the Burmese Constitution. Although much of their autonomy has been relinquished to the central government, the Shan retain their unique cultural identity and ethnic heritage.This gorgeous marble Buddha is seated in the dhyanasana position on a raised base decorated with stylized lotus petals. 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. His monastic robes are indicated by delicately incised lines that delineate the borders of the fabric. Calm and serene, he looks downwards with half closed eyes. His pupils have been painted in and some other remnants of the original polychrome that once decorated the work still survive. An ushnisha crowns his head, the shape of which recalls Burmese pagodas, the main houses of Buddhist worship. This bump is symbolic of the Buddha’s enlightened wisdom and cosmic openness. This marble sculpture is a splendid example of the Shan style that captures the Buddha in all his meditative glory. - (X.0227)   « Less

The Mandalay Period represents the last great cultural flourishing of Burmese art. The period was named after the city of Mandalay, which served as capital of Myanmar for a  More »

The Mandalay Period represents the last great cultural flourishing of Burmese art. The period was named after the city of Mandalay, which served as capital of Myanmar for a brief period (1860-1885 A.D.) during the reign of King Mindon. After the Anglo-Burmese Wars, northern Myanmar was shut off from the coastal areas that were controlled by the British. King Mindon founded the new capital at a sacred site at the foot of a large hill. The center of the city was designed in the perfect geometrical form of a Buddhist Mandala, giving the city its name. Although this short-lived kingdom finally fell to the British forces in 1886 A.D. during the Third Anglo-Burmese War, the Royal Guilds that created such remarkable works of art for the King remained in the city where they continued to produce sculptures in the Mandalay style.The historical figure, 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. At the age of 29, he left 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 marble Buddha is seated in the dhyanasana position on a low oval base decorated with stylized flowers that still feature some of their original red paint. 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. His flowing monastic robes wrap around his body and fall in elegant waves over his legs and onto the base. An ushnisha crowns his head. This bump is symbolic of the Buddha’s enlightened wisdom and cosmic openness. - (X.0228)   « Less