After the dissipation of the Kingdom of Pegu centered near Rangoon, the Burmese people were divided into a number of small, competitive states. However, by the middle of the 18th Century, a new kingdom emerged around the city of Ava (near Mandalay). The Kingdom of Ava gradually extended its control, eventually encompassing much of modern Myanmar. The Ava conquered the powerful Shan state and grew into a formidable power that competed with the Thai Kingdom of Ayutthaya for territory and regional influence. The rivalry between the two kingdoms was quite bitter. The feud eventually culminated in the sacking of Ayutthaya by the Ava. Treasures were looted and carried back to Myanmar on the backs of those captures and enslaved. Upon the collapse of the Ayutthayan Kingdom a few years later, the Ava ruled over the most powerful state in mainland Southeast Asia. Yet this era would not last long, as the arrival of the 19th Century brought upon a period of European colonialism that would change the face of the world.

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 bronze Buddha is seated in the dhyanasana position high upon a tiered base. With his hands, the Buddha forms the bhumisparsa mudra, literally translated as the “gesture of touching the earth.” This gesture alludes to when Buddha touched the ground in order to call on the earth to witness his enlightenment. Calm and serene, he looks downwards with half closed eyes. Certain aesthetic features reveal the influence of the Ayutthayan style on Ava artists. Other features, specifically the shape of the eyes and nose, are typical of Ava period creations. An ushnisa of a form that recalls a Buddhist pagoda rises from the top of his spiky haired head. This protrusion symbolizes the enlightenment of the Buddha.