Devotee

SRI LANKA; Kandy Kingdom

This statue portraying a devotee was created during the later Kandy Kingdom (circa 1590–1815). A Sri Lankan monk most likely brought the small statue back from the region of Rakhine in Myanmar during the 18th century. It could have been placed before the Buddha in a temple to commemorate an ancestor or presented by a devotee as an offering object for a blessing.
The figure stands barefoot on a small rounded pedestal with palms joined in reverence. The flattened head has carved details such as hair. A long-sleeved shirt is worn over a shawl-like abbreviated form of a monk’s robe that is often worn by religious devotees. The diagonal folds over the chest indicate a robe that leaves the right shoulder uncovered. The lower body is wrapped in a seamless lungi; the fold tucked in at the waist is hidden but indicated by a diagonal line where the two ends of the cloth join. The broad, shoulders, sturdy neck, and flattened face are distinct features that differ from the general Sri Lankan image.