Dimensions: Height 17,1 cm Wide 8 cm Depth 5,5 cm
Weight: 562 grams

The Buddha is shown seated in bhumisparsa mudra (earth-touching gesture), his right hand reaching towards the ground in the moment of enlightenment, while the left rests in his lap in meditation. He sits in vajrasana on a tiered pedestal with rounded lotus contours. The face is rendered with a calm, introspective expression, the eyes half-closed beneath arched brows, and the lips forming a faint smile. The elongated earlobes frame the head, which is covered with small snail-shell curls surmounted by a domed ushnīṣa.

The bronze surface has developed a rich patina of brown and green, with areas of encrustation and earthen deposits, especially visible on the back and underside, where traces of original clay core material remain.

This Buddha reflects the Ava-period continuation of Pagan traditions, with compact proportions, simplified lotus pedestal, and a restrained sense of serenity. Burmese bronzes of the 16th century maintained the essential iconography inherited from Pagan but introduced more stylized, slightly angular features and a sturdier base, corresponding to the devotional needs of temple and monastic settings across central Burma.

Comparable examples include a seated bronze Buddha in the collection of the British Museum (acc. no. OA 1980.3-11.1), also attributed to 16th-century Burma, sharing the same compact proportions and rounded pedestal. Another close comparison is a bronze Buddha sold at Bonhams, London, 12 November 2015, lot 99, likewise with a simplified lotus base and similar patination. A related example can also be found in the Asian Art Museum, San Francisco (acc. no. B69S14), demonstrating the persistence of Pagan stylistic traditions into the post-classical period.