Burmese Wood Niche Buddha

One hand reaches down to touch the earth. The gesture is the story.

This niche Buddha comes from Burma and dates to the 19th century. It is gilded wood with pigment. Images like this were made for Buddhist devotion in temples and household shrines, and making or giving one was widely understood as a way to earn merit. The lowered right hand recalls the moment the Buddha called the earth to witness his enlightenment. He sits cross-legged on a stepped base, eyes lowered, with gilding and red pigment showing across the robe and throne. Nineteen inches high.

The calm is the subject.