Pair of Burmese Kneeling Buddhist Disciples

Traditionally identified as Sariputta and Moggallana c.1890-1920

A substantial pair of Burmese carved wood Buddhist figures, traditionally identified as Sariputta and Moggallana, the two chief disciples of the Buddha. Each monk is shown kneeling in a posture of reverence, with shaven head, expressive painted features and hands extended in devotion. The figures retain extensive old polychrome decoration, with warm ochre and red robes, black-painted hair and details, and surviving traces of gilding and lacquer. Pairs of attendant disciples traditionally formed part of Burmese Buddhist shrine arrangements, positioned in relation to a central image of the Buddha. Their low kneeling form, mirrored composition and strongly frontal expressions give the pair considerable sculptural presence. The richly worn surfaces, craquelure and areas of exposed underlying decoration contribute substantially to their character and sense of age.

Carved and lacquered figures of the Buddha's two chief disciples, Sariputta and Moggallana, were placed before images of the Buddha in Burmese temples and monasteries as part of a shrine, kneeling as worshippers with their feet turned away from the object of veneration. A related 19th century pair, Michael Backman Ltd