Model stupa

Stupa with the twenty-eight Buddhas of the Past. Three tiers of seated Buddhas in niches. Made of gilded and lacquered wood. The central section of the stupa is set with three rows of niches, each containing one Buddha image seated in bhumisparsa mudra, the gesture of enlightenment. The upper section replicates the form of a 17th-18th century Burmese stupa with three circular bases surmounted by the bell of the stupa (here with a simple band around the middle) and a large number of receding bands that represent umbrellas. The whole is capped with a lotus bud/jewel form. The entire piece stands upon a waisted base that has been lacquered in red. The insides of the Buddhas’ niches are also lacquered red, while the Buddhas and their surrounds are gilded. The stupa form at the top was also once gilded.