The head of a Buddha statue, made using dry lacquer. With the production of lacquer statues and other objects made using dry lacquer, the basic shape of the piece is first ‘constructed’ from thin, strips of bamboo and bamboo fibres. This basic shape is then coated with many layers of lacquer from the ‘Tizi tree’ to create the final form. Subsequently it is gilded, painted and decorated. The present Buddha head made using dry lacquer displays the typical winged crown of the Shan Buddha (also called ‘Jambupati crown’). Here it is in a smaller, more modest form. This lacquer Buddha is accentuated with black and, for the most part, gilded. Only the hair on the back of the head is black. The four-tiered crown (the attachable ‘flame’ above is missing) is decorated on the front edges with rosettes and rows of red, white and green mirrored plates, as are also the Buddha’s long earlobes. The black eyebrows, the pupils, the red line on the mouth, as well as the colour accents on the ears and neck were applied last. Overall a beautiful, old piece with some age-related colour scuffing to the cheeks, chin, mouth and tip of the nose. Apart from a breakage below and a small loss to the tip of the right wing of the Buddha crown, there is no damage.
Height: 21 cm; width: c. 14 cm.
19th century.

Provenance:
From the private collection of the celebrated actor Sieghardt Rupp (1931–2015). (ME)