Object Details
Catalogue Note
Dimensions: H 151.5 × W 36.5 cm
Weight: 42 kg
Material: Solid teak
Estimated period: 18th to early 19th century
Origin: Myanmar (Burma)
Subject: Standing Arhat / monastic figure
A life-size Burmese monastic figure carved from a massive teak timber, standing 151.5 cm high and weighing 42 kg. The figure holds a small fruit-like attribute before the chest and has traditionally been interpreted as an Arhat associated with medicinal symbolism.
Construction & Surface
The underside preserves broad adze marks and substantial natural shrinkage. Old hand-forged iron staples bridge historic timber splits, with dark staining around the metal. Residues of gesso-like preparation, dark lacquer and isolated gilding survive in protected recesses. Together these details are consistent with long use and repeated maintenance of a large devotional wooden sculpture.
Dating & Condition
The previous attribution places the work in the 18th to early 19th century. Without documented provenance or dendrochronology, we retain this as a working attribution rather than a forensic certainty. The figure is deliberately presented in its heavily weathered state, with cracks, losses, old structural repairs and surviving historic coatings visible throughout.
