Standing Buddha

SRI LANKA

This statuette was carved during the Kandy Kingdom (1590–1815) when the sophisticated and pains-taking medium of ivory sculpture was prevalent. The round-headed Buddha displays several characteristics of his status, including an urna in mid-forehead, elongated earlobes, three lines on the neck, and long slender fingers. The right hand is lifted in abhaya (fearlessness) mudra and displays a Dharma wheel on the palm. The monastic robe leaves the right shoulder bare and falls in a pattern of small wave-like folds. The material falls free to the right of the body and is steadied by the right hand. The figure stands on a Sumeru pedestal. Lotus prints are on his foot bracelets and the pedestal’s surface, representing the wheel pattern that tradition places on the soles of the Buddha’s feet.