Burmese Polychrome Hollow Lacquer Buddha Statue

A bulbous finial sits on top of a rounded usnisha with the right-hand gesture in bhumisparsa mudra, the touching earth mudra depicting the moment the Buddha became enlightened.

Hollow lacquer Buddha statues are light and portable, yet strong and durable.

The process of creating a Buddha image or other forms in dry lacquer is lengthy and can take up to three months to complete. Starting with the clay is kneaded and shaped into a rough form of the image, a coating of straw ash and water is then smeared over the clay image, after which a piece of cloth usually from the robe of a monk or scarf of an elder of the family is soaked in lacquer and wound around the smeared image. Thayo plaster is then applied up to half an inch to one inch over this layer.