Shan: Crowned Buddha

MYANMAR, Shan

The statue was excavated from Shan. The Buddha wears a five-leaf crown and a topknot adorned with a tall pointed pagoda. Large ornate openwork sidepieces fan out from both sides of the crown and reach from above the leaves of the crown to the shoulders. Tubular ear ornaments extend over the shoulders and below them is a double necklace. The eyebrows are joined above the nose, and the eyes are lowered. The figure is seated in lotus position on a Sumeru throne with lotus petal decorations. The figure is often identified as the Medicine Buddha because the figure holds a medicine bowl in the left hand, while the right may once have held a medicinal fruit. This representation may be due to the enduring influence of Mahayana Buddhism in the region.