Thailand, 1351–1767. Superbly cast striding with the right leg slightly raised, his left hand held in vitarka mudra and his right gracefully extended alongside his body, wearing a diaphanous sanghati elegantly draped over his left shoulder and flaring downward in a gently undulating hemline. The serene face with downcast eyes below gently arched brows, flanked by elongated earlobes, his hair arranged in tight curls over the ushnisha topped by a flaming siraspata.

Provenance: From an old private collection in Berlin, Germany.
Condition: Very good condition with old wear and expected casting irregularities. Few nicks, tiny dents, small touchups and fills, signs of weathering and erosion. The heavily cast bronze with a smooth, naturally grown patina which has turned almost completely black over time.

Weight: 20 kg (incl. stand)
Dimensions: Height 88.5 cm (excl. stand), 106 cm (incl. stand)

Mounted on an associated hardwood stand. (2)

The 'Walking Buddha' is a striking and iconic Thai invention emerging in bronze sculpture during the 14th century. Known in Sukhothai as cankrama (walking back and forth) it refers to the pacing of Buddha during the third week after Enlightenment. When Shakyamuni renounced his princely life, he dismounted from his horse to become a peripatetic mendicant. Buddhist texts describe his constant wandering from city to city in the course of his teaching, exemplifying the important role walking had upon the Buddha's life.

Translated as ‘Dawn of Happiness’, the Sukhothai kingdom's reign lasted for 200 years and is now regarded as the Thai Golden Age. Having wrested power from the Khmers, the Sukhothai rulers endeavored to cease production of Buddha images in the Khmer style and develop a new, uniquely Thai aesthetic. With the assistance of Singhalese Theravadan monks, they adhered to textual prescriptions in ancient Pali treatises (shastras). Composed as similes, among Buddha's signs of greatness (mahalakshanas), he has a nose ‘like a parrot's beak’, a chin ‘like a mango stone’, his long and sinuous arms ‘like the trunk of a young elephant’, and his elegant hands ‘like a lotus bud opening’. Their efforts yielded a beautiful Thai image informed by poetry. 

Literature comparison:
Compare a related bronze figure of the Walking Buddha dated 14^th-15^th century in the collection of the National Museum, Bangkok. Compare a related bronze figure of the Walking Buddha dated 15^th-16^th century, 117 cm high, in the Asian Civilizations Museum, Singapore, accession number 1999-01714, and previously sold at Christie’s New York, 17 September 1999, lot 254, for USD 112,500.

Auction result comparison:
Type: Related
Auction: Zacke, Vienna, 28 June 2024, lot 370
Price: EUR 15,600
Description: A very large and highly important bronze figure of a walking Buddha, Sukhothai Kingdom
Expert remark: Compare the closely related modeling and manner of casting with a similarly fluid and dynamic walking pose and crisply delineated features. Note the similar size (90 cm) and the earlier date.