House of Jewels Buddha
Style
Ava-period Burmese Buddhist art, depicting the Ratnaghara, or House of Jewels, an episode associated with the Buddha’s enlightenment at Bodh Gaya. According to Buddhist tradition, following his awakening beneath the Bodhi Tree, Gautama Buddha spent several weeks meditating at different sacred locations. The Ratnaghara is traditionally identified as one of these places of contemplation.
This miniature narrative bronze was likely created as a votive offering. Small devotional images of this type were donated to temples and deposited in relic chambers, allowing devotees to commemorate specific episodes from the Buddha’s life while accumulating religious merit.
Period
17th–18th Century, Ava Kingdom, Nyaung Yan Dynasty, Myanmar (Burma). The sculpture belongs to the tradition of small narrative bronzes produced for Buddhist devotional and votive purposes during the later Ava period.
Material
Cast bronze with an exceptionally developed archaeological patina. The surface exhibits deep reddish-brown cuprite, areas of dark oxidation and traces of green copper corrosion. Natural porosity and irregularities further reflect prolonged burial or confinement within a relic chamber.
Size
 
Provenance
Belgian collection
Condition
The bronze retains an extensive natural excavation patina, with pronounced mineralisation, oxidation and surface porosity. These features are consistent with prolonged burial or storage in a relic chamber and contribute significantly to its archaeological character.