Founded in 1364 following the fall of the Pagan Kingdom, the First Ava Kingdom emerged as the political and cultural heart of Upper Burma until the mid-16th century. During this era, marked by intense cultural exchange and frequent regional conflicts, royal and monastic workshops developed a distinct style of Buddhist art. Inheriting the traditions of Pagan while asserting a more grounded and stylized aesthetic, the Ava style is characterized by broader faces with softened features, tall, heavily molded bases, and exceptional refinement in bronze casting.
 
This lost-wax cast bronze sculpture depicts Sakyamuni Buddha seated in the meditation posture, with the right foot resting on the left thigh. The right hand reaches downward toward the ground in bhumisparsha mudra (calling the Earth to witness), sealing the moment of his Enlightenment, while the left hand rests flat in his lap, palm facing upward.
 
The piece fully embodies the aesthetic canons of Ava: the full-contoured face hints at a subtle meditative smile beneath half-closed eyes and arched eyebrows, while elongated earlobes (lakshana) fall alongside the neck. The hair, rendered with regular curl points, is surmounted by a lotus-bud finial (ushnisha), retaining red pigments within its crevices. The Buddha is draped in a monastic robe that leaves the right shoulder bare, featuring a crisp, geometric fold falling across the torso. He rests on a stepped, hourglass-profile pedestal with corner projections (redents).
 
Condition Report:
The work is in very good overall structural and aesthetic condition. The sculpture retains its original surface with no major losses and a highly mineralized patina with traces of malachite and cuprite, among others. It features a fine, dark patina, accompanied by remnants of original red slip/pigment beneath the lacquer around the head and drapery, as well as light earth encrustations settled in the recesses of the pedestal. The open lower cavity retains its original core of interior casting clay.