Museum-Quality Pair of Gilded Burmese Monks Sariputta and Moggallana

An exceptional and museum-worthy ensemble of 19th-century gilded and lacquered hardwood sculptures from Burma (Myanmar), depicting the chief disciples of the Gautama Buddha: Moggallana (Maudgalyayana) and the two-part component of Sariputta (Sāriputta).

This monumental, three-piece ensemble dates from the late Konbaung dynasty (Mandalay period, c. 1850–1885) and represents the absolute pinnacle of Buddhist portraiture. While the classical Mandalay style is often dominated by stark, idealized, and anonymous faces, this masterfully carved set radically breaks with that convention through a rare form of anatomical hyperrealism. The sculptor deliberately chose to immortalize the physical toll of a lifelong dedication to deep asceticism and spiritual awakening.

Iconographic Precision, Measurements & Weight Distribution

• Moggallana (Primary Abbot in Anjali Mudra): With an impressive height of 67.5 cm, a width of 43.5 cm, and a solitary weight of 20.8 kg, this chief disciple is captured in deep veneration, with hands pressed together in the namaskara mudra. His anatomy shows deeply carved forehead wrinkles, pronounced eye folds, and a fabulously sharp depiction of the throat structure, including the Adam's apple and the underlying bone structure of the clavicles.
• Sariputta Component (Two-part Male & Female Sub-figures): This contrasting component consists of two separate, symmetrical figures, each 43 cm high (widths 12 cm and 13 cm, respectively). Together, these two sub-figures have a combined weight of exactly 18.0 kg. They depict the listening and devotional aspects, subtly divided into a male and female representation, completing the harmony within the temple arrangement.

Forensic & Material Elements

All sculptures are monolithically cold-carved from solid tropical hardwood tree trunks, resulting in a monumental total weight for the entire ensemble of no less than 38.8 kg. Forensic examination and spectroscopic 365nm UV analysis confirm an untouched, historically consistent material layering:

• Thit-si & Cinnabar Stratigraphy: Thick, original layers of sacred black Thit-si lacquer are covered with a mineral cinnabar-red primer (vermilion), giving the hand-beaten 24k gold leaf its deep, warm, and historic glow. Under 365nm UV light, the organic lacquer layers illuminate with a characteristic dull, milky green-yellow fluorescence, proving the age-old natural polymerization.
• Hman-zi Shwe-cha Inlay: The edges of the monastic robes (civara) are heavily decorated with high-relief Thayo lacquer paste and inlaid with original, two-tone green and silver mirror glass tesserae (Hmankazi). The glass shows heavy, inimitable mercury-oxidation and micro-cracks due to decades of exposure to the tropical temple climate.
• Structural Integrity: The undersides show authentic traces of manual tools (adze and handsaw marks) and natural radial shrinkage cracks (heart cracks). A single hand-forged iron stabilization pin is fully embedded under the original lacquer layer. Tapping the vitrified lacquer shell (the 'tap test') produces a clear, metallic 'ping' like bronze, confirming the extreme density of the ancient material.

This is an extremely rare and substantively complete ensemble from Burmese Buddhist history. The set is in an exceptionally pure state of preservation and is ideally suited for elite collectors, high-end interior curation, or museum collections.

Each object is examined before it is offered: material, casting or carving technique, surface, and signs of age are compared with documented references. You will receive a certificate of authenticity and an official invoice detailing the period, material, and available provenance.

How we verify authenticity

Fully insured worldwide shipping in museum-quality packaging. Returns are sent to our Dutch address and you have a 14-day cooling-off period.

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