The State Hermitage Museum: Exhibitions

Buddha Maravijaya - the"Buddha who vanquished Mara" - a name given in Siam to the episode in which Gautama called upon the Earth goddess to bear witness and gained victory over Mara, the lord of evil forces.
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Siamese sculpture in the Hermitage

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Buddha Maravijaya

15th century

Bronze

Height: 42.5 cm

The elongated narrow face and tightly curled thick locks of hair are typical features of the "Kamphaeng Phet type", named after a town that was one of the major centres of the Sukhothai state.

The split ("swallow-tail") end of the uttarasanga, arranged in folds and thrown over the left shoulder, was specifically characteristic of Sukhothai art and then taken up in subsequent Siamese art. The smooth low pedestal on four small legs (almost completely lost) with a slightly concave front surface is also characteristic of Sukhothai art.

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Buddha Maravijaya
Larger view

Buddha Maravijaya - the "Buddha who vanquished Mara" – a name given in Siam to the episode in which Gautama called upon the Earth goddess to bear witness and gained victory over Mara, the lord of evil forces.
Pass to Glossary

Sukhothai - a cape that is one of the three components of monastic dress, worn over the other two
Pass to Glossary

Uttarasanga - the outer garment of a Buddhist monk, consisting of a long piece of cloth sewn from several strips. It is wrapped around the body in such a way as to cover both shoulders or only the left.
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