A monumental Burmese Mandalay Buddha carved from teak and built up with thit-si lacquer, thayo relief, gold leaf and extensive mirror and glass mosaic. At 82 cm wide and 33.8 kg, it is an architectural presence as much as a devotional sculpture.
Object details
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Subject: Shakyamuni Buddha in Bhumisparsha mudra
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Origin: Mandalay tradition, Myanmar (Burma)
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Date: ca. 1880–1920
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Material: teak, thit-si lacquer, thayo relief, gold leaf, mirror and coloured glass inlay
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Height: 82 cm
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Width: 72 cm
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Weight: 33.8 kg
Mandalay workshop character
The image belongs to the richly decorative late Mandalay tradition, in which carving, lacquer work, relief ornament and reflective inlay are treated as a single visual system. The Buddha sits in Bhumisparsha mudra, the earth-touching gesture associated with the moment of enlightenment.
Rather than relying on painted decoration alone, the surface is physically constructed in layers. Raised thayo patterns define borders, garments and architectural elements; gold leaf unifies the relief; individually placed mirror and glass fragments then catch changing light across the figure.
Thayo and glass mosaic
Thayo is one of the distinctive decorative techniques of Burmese lacquer craftsmanship. A relief medium is formed and applied over the prepared surface before gilding and inlay. Here it provides the framework for a dense mosaic of reflective elements. The result would have been particularly effective in a temple or shrine interior illuminated by moving natural light, candles or oil lamps.
Surface history
Close examination shows old craquelure in the lacquer, rubbing to the gilding, local losses and variation between individual glass and mirror elements. Those changes are not treated as defects to be concealed; they are part of the visual record of an object that has survived for more than a century.
The teak construction remains legible beneath the elaborate surface, and the tension between carved structure and applied decoration is one of the reasons Mandalay sculpture is so immediately recognisable.
Dating and attribution
The current dating of ca. 1880–1920 places the work around the late Konbaung and early colonial period, when Mandalay remained a major centre for religious carving and lacquer decoration. The attribution is based on carving style, facial type, decorative vocabulary, materials and technique rather than on an unverified workshop name.
Condition
Age-related wear, craquelure, small losses to gilding and inlay, and unevenness in the decorative surface are present. The sculpture retains a strong overall visual unity and extensive historic decoration. Its large scale requires specialist packing and transport.
Collector note
This is a particularly strong example for a collection focused on Burmese Buddhist art because the principal Mandalay techniques remain visible together: carved teak, lacquer, thayo relief, gilding and glass mosaic. The object is both highly decorative and technically informative.
Worldwide insured shipping is available; freight for a work of this scale is quoted individually.
