Burmese Wood Buddha, Based

Gold over black lacquer, and the black has begun to show through.

This Buddha, on a base, comes from Burma and dates to the 19th century, in gilded and lacquered wood. In Burmese Buddhism, giving an image of the Buddha to a monastery was a way of earning merit, and lacquer and gold turned simple wood into something fit for that purpose. One hand reaches down to the earth, while the other rests upward in the lap. A smooth, tapered face with long ears sits under a tight cap of curls. Layered folds cross the chest. A band of red shows along the lower edge. Twenty-six inches high and 19.5 wide.

He looks content to let it.