Ava – Konbaung Sandstone Buddha Statue (c.1650–1780)

This Ava – Konbaung Sandstone Buddha Statue (c.1650–1780) is similar in appearance to some of the Buddha statues carved from the sandstone cliffs in the Phowintaung cave complex near Monywa, approximately 136 kilometers west of Mandalay, which display the same simplistic incised robe ornamentation, facial expression, usnisha and finial.

This statue was once gilded, with residual gold surviving only in protected crevices. The red lacquer that was used underneath the gilding has also worn away revealing the bare sandstone underneath. Not sure if this wear is due to environmental conditions or deliberate removal of the gold during tough times.

SPECIFICATIONS:

HEIGHT: 45 cm
DEPTH: 15 cm
WIDTH: 30 cm
WEIGHT:
#4

ENQUIRIES/CONTENT

Ava – Konbaung Sandstone Buddha Statue (c.1650–1780)

Monastic and Institutional Recycling

In rare historical instances, religious institutions or local rulers faced with extreme famine, siege, or state crisis authorized the stripping or melting down of temple gold and regalia to fund emergency relief, pay tributes to avert total destruction, or repair critical infrastructure. However, because stripping a consecrated image (consecrated through the thayein/abhiseka ceremony) carries severe karmic repercussions (akusala) in Theravada tradition, this was considered an absolute last resort.

Re-gilding vs. Stripping (Maintenance Misconception)

Sometimes, the physical removal of gold leaf is mistaken for stripping when it is actually part of regular maintenance:

Over decades or centuries, thick, uneven layers of gold leaf applied by devotees can obscure the intricate details of a statue’s carving or casting.
During formal restoration (pudda-puja), artisans carefully scrape or wash off old, flaking gold leaf and lacquer layers to repair the underlying structure before applying fresh lacquer (thitsi) and pure gold leaf. To an outside observer, a statue mid-restoration appears completely stripped of its gold.