Headless Sukhothai Buddha in bhūmisparśa mudrā

• Bronze torso of Shakyamuni Buddha, Sukhothai period, 15th/16th century.
• Grey-green/black patina, vestige of sediment.
• Provenance: Estate of collector and art dealer Claude de Marteau.
• Sold with certificate of origin.
• Without solce : H 15 cm x W 16 cm x D 8 cm
• Stand H 3 cm x W 17 cm x D 9 cm

This sculpture depicts a Buddha in bhūmisparśa mudrā, the gesture of “taking the Earth as witness”, associated with the episode of Awakening. Although the head is absent, the posture, position of the arms and treatment of the body allow a coherent attribution to the Sukhothai style, developed in Thailand between the 13th and 15th centuries.

The Sukhothai style is characterized by elegant lines, supple volumes and a quest for formal balance, even in fragmentary works. Here, the modelling of the torso, the restraint of posture and the fluidity of gesture testify to a statuary conceived to express an interiorized presence, beyond the mere material integrity of the figure.

The acephalous sculptures from this period are not to be understood as incomplete in the aesthetic sense, but as archaeological fragments that carry meaning. They are a reminder of the conditions under which ancient works were transmitted, marked by time, displacement and sometimes historical upheaval. In the context of Theravāda Buddhism, the symbolic force of the gesture of Awakening remains intact, even in the absence of facial expression.

This acephalous Buddha is an authentic example of early Buddhist art in Thailand, where the power of gesture and the accuracy of proportion are sufficient to evoke the spiritual ideal embodied by the Buddha.