A RARE SANDSTONE HEAD OF BUDDHA, PAGAN PERIOD, END OF 11TH TO EARLY 12TH CENTURY Description Burma. Finely carved, the serene face modeled with a meditative expression marked by downcast eyes with neatly incised heavy lids and elegantly arched brows, his bow-shaped lips forming a calm smile, flanked by elongated earlobes, the hair worked in tight curls over the ushnisha. Provenance From an old private collection in Bavaria, Germany, assembled between 1965 and 1985. Condition Good condition with wear, commensurate to age. Obvious losses, small chips, encrustations, and signs of weathering and erosion. Weight: 1.498 kg dimension including base 22X8X10 cm EXPERT NOTE PAGAN PERIOD IS REALLY RARE FOR PRIVATE COLLECTOR WHO LOVE BURMA MOREOVER IN SANDSTONE AND IN THIS CASE BUDDHA HEAD The Kingdom of Pagan was the first Burmese kingdom to unify the regions that would later constitute modern-day Myanmar. Pagan's 250-year rule over the Irrawaddy valley and its periphery laid the foundation for the ascent of Burmese language and culture, the spread of Bamar ethnicity in Upper Myanmar, and the growth of Theravada Buddhism in Myanmar and in mainland Southeast Asia. The Burmese language and culture gradually became dominant in the upper Irrawaddy valley, eclipsing the Pyu, Mon, and Pali norms by the late 12th century. Theravada Buddhism slowly began to spread to the village level although Tantric, Mahayana, Brahmanic, and animist practices remained heavily entrenched at all social strata. Pagan's rulers built over 10,000 Buddhist temples in the Bagan Archaeological Zone of which over 2,000 remain today. The wealthy donated tax-free land to religious authorities. The kingdom went into decline in the mid-13th century as the continuous growth of tax-free religious wealth by the 1280s had severely affected the crown's ability to retain the loyalty of courtiers and military servicemen. This ushered in a vicious circle of internal disorders and external challenges by the Arakanese, Mons, Mongols and Shans. Repeated Mongol invasions between 1277 and 1301 toppled the four-century-old kingdom. lien video https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/78y3begkk7fvrboljkc8h/ACO1bOL8RvP2ulIh6a78SEM?rlkey=jcrj9avrwmx6xcgauhfmfzn7q&dl=0