Antique Burmese Mandalay Period Buddhist Dancer Nat Spirit Deer Figure Sculpture

Exquisitely hand-crafted in Burma (present day Myanmar) in the late 19th century, finely sculpted from a single piece of teakwood, exceptionally executed in period Mandalay taste, highly detailed and decorated, showcasing the most exquisite craftsmanship throughout.

Modeled in an exceedingly rare and unusual form, depicting a tall standing Na spirit figure, adorned in fanciful Royal dancer garment, elaborately decorated and embellished with brilliant polychrome colored mirrored glass jewel inlays, red lacquered dress tail, he stands carrying a golden stag deer around shoulders and neck, the naturalistic deer having delicate four point antlers, all over an ebonized base, resting on a custom later Thai wooden pedestal stand.

Dimensions: (approx)
Overall: 27″h, 9″w, 7.75″d
Figure: 19.25″h, 9″w, 7.5″d
Base 7.75″h, 8″w, 7.75″d; 10.5″h with post

Condition:
A superb museum quality example, wonderfully preserved original antique condition with nicely aged warm rich dark patina and minimal losses.

*Additional photos available upon request

We immediately gravitated towards it upon first sight, and have not seen another piece quite like it form, quality, or scope. It would look amazing in just about any setting, with its remarkable design and visually striking eye-catching light reflection, it’s sure to become a focal point of any space, while adding a thoughtful touch of rich cultural history, sophistication, elegant warmth, tranquility and serenity to any home!

Provenance / Acquisition:
Personal property of Genshiro Kawamoto (b.1932), a Japanese real estate tycoon and avid decorative arts collector.

To give an idea of both the size of the collection and the wealth Mr. Kawamoto had amassed, he purchased numerous (many 100s) of multi-million dollar homes in Hawaii, always paying cash. A string of homes he purchased for $2M-$20M each with the intent of using them as museums, (most people use storage units) just to house and display items from his extensive collection of antiques and artifacts. About 30 properties with a collective value of $200M in the Kāhala area of Honolulu he left vacant for decades, allowing them to fall into disrepair and get boarded up, attracting many complaints and media attention.

Mr. Kawamoto was in the procession of building one of the most expensive homes ever built in Hawaii at the time of his arrest and subsequent deportation to his native country, Japan, where he was found guilty of tax evasion, sentenced to four years in prison and had his assets seized and auctioned off.

We acquired this wonderful example from a prominent antiques dealer in Maui, Hawaii, who personally knew Mr. Kawamoto and procured this sculpture from the estate.

Mythological History:
The golden deer is relevant in Buddhism and Hinduism traditions, both adopting the use of the golden deer to teach moral lessons, in the form of animal fables.

In Buddhism, the story of the golden deer is part of a collection of tales, named, the ‘Jataka Tales’. The tales centre on the previous lives of the Buddha (O’Brien, no date a). Whereas in Hindu mythology, the golden deer features in the Ramayana epic.
The story of the golden deer in Buddhism, goes back to a previous life of the Buddha. In this life he is named Bodhisattva and has been born as a beautiful golden deer. He knows that the hunters would love to hang his hide on their wall so he is reluctant for his identity to be known. Risking everything, he rescues a man who is stuck in a treacherous current, who in due course promises to never reveal the Bodhisattva’s existence. The rescued man breaks this promise and shows the King where the golden deer is. This was because he was tempted by the Queens offer to make him live a rich and wealthy life. Ultimately, the King finds out about the rescued man’s betrayal and prepares to kill him, however, the Bodhisattva preaches that you should ‘not strike one who is already stricken’. The story concludes with the golden deer stood on a throne speaking the word of the Dharma.

The story teaches that (unlike the rescued man) you should never go against your word, or break promises. Furthermore, it teaches two wrongs don’t make a right, for example the King wanting to kill the rescued man for breaking a promise, and the rescued man thinking he can betray the golden deer if he does good acts in later life. However, the overriding moral of the story is to show compassion to all creatures and treat them all as family.

The golden deer in Hinduism, features in the Ramayana (‘’Romance of Rama’’) epic (Narayan, 1972). The Ramayana is an ancient Sanskrit epic, following Prince Rama’s mission to rescue Princess Sita from Ravana. It is traditionally attributed to the authorship of Valmiki and dated to be around 500 BCE to 100 BCE (Quick guide to the Ramayana, no date). Ravana, the evil antagonist, plans to capture Prince Rama’s wife Princess Sita by luring Prince Rama into the forest, meaning Sita will be alone with no protection (Ravana Plans Abduction of Sita The Story of Golden Deer Spiritual Bangalore, 2009). Ravana orders his accomplice Marich to transform into a beautiful golden deer. Princess Sita desires the skin of the golden deer so Prince Rama chases after it, intent on capturing the golden deer to please his wife. Eventually he catches up with the deer and manages to shoot the deer with his bow and arrow. However, Marich screams out in pain, mimicking Prince Rama’s voice. Princess Sita heard the screams, and begs Rama’s brother Laxmana to go save Rama. As soon as Laxmana travels into the forest and Princess Sita is left unattended, Ravana goes forward with his plans. Using his power he changes himself into a monk, and begs Sita to give him some food. Laxmana had previously drawn a line for Sita, which if she went past she would burn. Despite this, Sita takes her chances and steps out to feed the innocent looking Monk. As soon as she does this, Ravana lifts Sita onto his shoulders and flies far, far away.

Ultimately I believe the moral of the story is to stray away from temptation (the prospect of having the golden deer’s skin), and also, like the Buddhism fable, to show compassion to all creatures and treat them as family.

To conclude, a golden deer features in tales in Buddhism and also Hinduism. The golden deer is used in both as a desirable animal; Princess Sita wanted the deer in the Hindu tale, and in the Buddhist tale, the Queen wanted the deer. Furthermore, the desirable animal cause’s temptation in both cases, and giving into that temptation is what proves the downfall for the rescued man and Princess Sita. Therefore, both stories display how you should not give in to temptation and arguably more importantly, show that you should have compassion to all creatures and treat them all as family.

Mandalay period:
1853 – 1948 Mandalay was considered the center of the Buddhist universe in Myanmar. King Mindon moved the capital from Amarapura to this new site and called it the city of Mandalay. Tradition maintains that Guatama Buddha visited the sacred peak of Mandalay Hill with his disciple Ananda and proclaimed that on the 2400th anniversary of his death, a metropolis of Buddhist leaning would be founded on the plain below the hill. The political center of this new city had the perfect geometrical form of a Buddhist Mandala, for which the city was named, Mandalay. The Mandalay period ends at the time when the Burmese gained its independence from the British Colonial rule.