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PA IR OF BR ONZ E K N EELIN G MONKS BURMA MANDALAY PERIOD 19TH CENTURY H. 46 CMS, 18 INS An enchanting and finely cast pair of bronze monks, kneeling on lotus pedestals atop long curved finials for attachment to a Buddha image, with their hands clasped in anjalimudra, each with extensive gilding, a glossy brown patina and hair highlighted in black lacquer. These captivating, beautifully sculpted figures would have flanked a large central Buddha image in a temple. For a fine example of a complete monks and Buddha ensemble, see P.288A-P.288E, pp 356-7 in S. Lopetcharat, Myanmar Buddha: The Image and Its History, Bangkok: Siam International Books Co. Ltd, 2007. PROVENANCE: Private French collection. Acquired in Malaysia during the early 1980s. Price: ÂŁ3,500 the pair