The Mandalay Period represents the last great
cultural flourishing of Burmese art. The period
was named after the city of Mandalay, which
served as capital of Myanmar for a brief period
(1860-1885 A.D.) during the reign of King
Mindon. After the Anglo-Burmese Wars,
northern Myanmar was shut off from the coastal
areas that were controlled by the British. King
Mindon founded the new capital at a sacred site
at the foot of a large hill. The center of the city
was designed in the perfect geometrical form of
a Buddhist Mandala, giving the city its name.
Although this short-lived kingdom finally fell to
the British forces in 1886 A.D. during the Third
Anglo-Burmese War, the Royal Guilds that
created such remarkable works of art for the
King remained in the city where they continued
to produce sculptures in the Mandalay style.
The historical figure, Buddha Gautama
Sakyamuni is the Buddha of compassion who,
having achieved the highest evolutionary
perfection, turns suffering into happiness for all
living beings. Born around 560 B.C. somewhere
between the hills of south Nepal and the Rapti
river, his father was a Raja who ruled over the
northeastern province of India, the district
including the holy Ganges River. The young
prince was married to Yashoda when he was
about 17 years old and together they had a son
named Rahula. At the age of 29, he left his life of
luxury, as he felt compelled to purify his body
and make it an instrument of the mind by ridding
himself of earthly impulses and temptations.
This gorgeous marble Buddha is seated in the
dhyanasana position on a low oval base. With
his hands, the Buddha forms the bhumisparsa
mudra, which can be literally translated as the
“gesture of touching the earth” in which the
Buddha touches the ground in order to call on
the earth to witness his enlightenment. His
flowing monastic robes wrap around his body
and fall in elegant waves over his legs and onto
the base. An ushnisha crowns his head. This
bump is symbolic of the Buddha’s enlightened
wisdom and cosmic openness.
