In this sculpture the Buddha is seated in a full lotus position on a double-layered platform. Dark paint has been used to pick out details such as his high arched eyebrows, eyes, and hair. Details such as the conical ushnisha (a protuberance on the top of the head which is one of the Buddha’s key characteristics and which symbolises his enlightenment) and earlobes which extend all the way down to the shoulders are important features which identify the Buddha and serve as a reminder of his life. Within East Asian belief, particularly Buddhism, large ears are seen as a sign of wisdom and compassion. The Buddha is often depicted with elongated ears to symbolise his ability to hear the cries of those who are suffering, and his sympathy and willingness to help ease their pain. It is therefore a comforting image, as it reminds those who see it that there is hope for an end to their sufferings through the search for enlightenment and the compassion of those who have reached it. The shape of the ushnisha in this example is reminiscent of a Burmese stupa, a religious structure that usually houses Buddhist relics.

The Buddha’s hands are held in the Bhumisparsha mudra, with his right hand reaching downwards across his right knee towards the ground, and his left resting face-up over his legs. The Bhumisparsha or ‘earth witness’ mudra (gesture or body position with a symbolic meaning and connection to an event in the life of the Buddha) represents the connection which the Buddha made with the earth when he was close to achieving Nirvana. The demon Mara was trying to frighten him and interrupt his meditation, and as part of this challenged him to produce a witness to agree that he had the right to achieve enlightenment. As the Buddha touched the ground, the earth itself appeared as his witness, allowing him to defeat Mara and prove himself worthy of reaching Nirvana.

The high arched eyebrows and soft smiling expression, as well as the use of marble, are characteristics which suggest that this is a Shan sculpture. The Shan people are an ethnic group that have been living in Myanmar since the 11th century, and are believed to have migrated from Yunnan in China. Today, they are the largest minority group, primarily based in the Shan state in the east of Myanmar, but between the 13th and 16th centuries Shan chiefs ruled much of the country. Their religion is primarily Buddhist, and their culture is closely related to that of Thailand and Laos. Shan Buddha sculptures are characterised by slightly open eyes, with high eyebrows and large foreheads. The marble used for Buddha sculptures in Myanmar often comes from the hill range of Sagyin, a village north of Mandalay. This area is an offshoot of the mountainous Mogok area, known as the “Valley of Rubies” because of the high-quality gemstones that have been found there since ancient times. Rubies are therefore also found in the Sagyin hills among the marble.