A silver or tin alloy seated Buddha Shakyamuni Thailand, possibly Si Thep, Mon-Dvaravati period, 7th/8th century

seated in vajraparyankasana on a lotus throne with the remains of an aureole at the back, now broken. The hands form dhyanamudra and he wears a simple monastic robe the thick edges visible at the neck and wrists. His hair is set in large curls rising to a point incorporating the usnisha and topped by a tiny knob representing a gem. The face has a meditative expression, the features heavily incised with unadorned elongated earlobes

The aureole at the back is broken at waist level. The lotus base is irregularly chipped around the bottom edge, the bottom part of the base missing. The surface of the metal is highly polished. Good condition overall. No restoration.
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The Mon-Dvaravati culture was predominantly Theravada Buddhist and therefore images of the historical Buddha Shakyamuni were popular. The sculpture of this period is a defining moment in Southeast Asian art due to its inexplicable influence from the Gupta Period of Indian art and its successive influence on Khmer Buddhist sculpture. The Buddhist images of Mon-Dvaravati are, according to Griswold, 'expressions of simple dignity' and certainly this sculpture exemplifies that. Compare the composition to a stucco example published Pal, P.; Asian Art at the Norton Simon Museum, Vol 3, Yale University Press, 2004, p.120, fig. 88 and the facial features to a gold example ibid, p. 118, fig. 85.