Burmese Buddha (100 cm)

Buddha of Protection

This estimated 50 years old standing Buddha is made in Birma and has the country's recognisable decorative elements on the clothing.
Made out of teak and painted black, this statue stands 100 cm high and weights 15 kilograms.
Still solid and firm, it does show signs of age: some deep cracks are visible (right arm and throne) and the throne is slightly chipped on the front; some scratches on the back are also present.
Overall, the statue is still in good condition.
The black color gives this Buddha a mysterious and imposing aura; combined with the symbolism it makes a good statue to place in a spot where protection is needed, like the front door hall way, office space or room where one encounters strangers...

Symbolism
The Gesture Warding off Evil (Tarjani Mudra) with forefinger and little finger outstretched.

Abhaya in Sanskrit means fearlessness, and the abhaya mudra symbolizes protection, peace, and the dispelling of fear. The gesture is made with the right hand raised to shoulder height, arm bent, and palm facing outward.
This gesture is an ancient one, demonstrating that the hand is empty of weapons and thus indicating friendship and peace. To western eyes, it looks like the gesture meaning "stop." In both cases, the gesture implies fearlessness before a potential enemy.

In Buddhism, the gesture is fearlessnessa is a symbol of the spiritual power of Buddha.
According to Buddhist tradition, the historical Buddha made this gesture immediately after gaining enlightenment and later, when he was about to be attacked by an angry elephant, he held up his hand in the fearlessness gesture thus immediately calming the animal.
The gesture of fearlessness is is only seen on Buddhas or boddhisatvas and appears most commonly in standing images.