Burmese Pagoda Relic - 18th-19th Century Buddha with Earth-Touching Gesture - Height 17.3 cm, Base Width 7.8 cm

A Buddha statue recovered from a collapsed pagoda in the Mandalay region of Myanmar. Depicts the Buddha in the Earth-Touching gesture, subduing Mara. The period is estimated to be the 18th-19th century (the antique dealer who brought it back to Taiwan believed it to be even older...). However, having handled antiques for many years... it's prudent to conservatively estimate the age. The sealing clay at the base of the statue is intact. Bronze alloy. Total height 17.3 cm. Base width 7.8 cm. The exterior has undergone two cleanings. The first cleaning was done locally upon its removal from the pagoda in Myanmar, removing the majority of the hard, cement-like adhered soil from the bronze Buddha. The second cleaning was performed after its arrival in Taiwan. It has now been treated with fragrant oil as an offering. ************************* Myanmar is a country that strictly controls the export of cultural relics. Antiques and cultural artifacts are prohibited from being taken out of the country. Items like Buddha statues and metal ritual objects such as 'dalong' prayer beads are not permitted to leave the country!!! Therefore, to see and acquire such artifacts in Taiwan, it signifies that antique dealers have brought them back through special channels.