~ Voodoo Priestess Estate ~ ©
22 3/8" Burmese Shan Gray Concrete Slip Jambupati Buddha
Circa 1956
An East End Library Entrance Find
~!~
Nearly twenty-two years have now passed since we were called to do an estate that had been closed up for seventeen years!
The Voodoo Estate!
This type of call usually gets us excited as they are a treasure trove. Located here in Florida, there was no electricity or running water so we rigged our own lighting and in we went. If you have ever seen the Adams Family you will have some idea as to what we were greeted with!
Then the attorney handling the liquidation gave us some background. The estate had belonged to an alleged powerful Voodoo Priestess/JooJoo Exorcist, grand daughter of a Marie Laveau, and favored daughter of a Marie Glapion.
This did not have much impact on us other than to cause an uneasy feeling when in the mansion and we declined to spend the night while inventorying, deciding to stay in a hotel to return during daylight to assess the estate. The rest is history.
Our research has shown that this woman was what she claimed and was indeed descended from a long line of well known Vodoun family originating in New Orleans in the early 1800's. We were pretty unnerved by this until we discovered they were also devout Catholics! Although I have to admit this was unlike any Catholic home we have ever been in and some of the items found inside were a little more than disturbing.
There was no feeling of dread or unwelcome in the mansion, however there was quite a bit of contraband and other items we can or will not sell here.
This is one of a few pieces from this estate we will be posting this week, so check our other listings.
We will, upon the new guardian's request, issue a named Letter of Authenticity with each piece from this estate, complying with the terms set forth to us by the estate's attorney.
Some Back Story
This is one of a pair of Buddha depictions found at the East End facing Library Entrance to the mansion of this estate. It is one of the twenty-six deity figures that were purchased for, and shipped to her from Burma by her associates, the LiDiex. This has been corroborated in their journal entries. They were delivered, and entered into her inventory in March of 1956. It is our opinion that they were bought new at that time. It is one of the very few 'Jambupati' Buddha images recovered from this estate and is a relatively rare depiction of what may be a mythical, regional event in the life of Buddha.
The Jambupati style Buddha is thought to have originated around the 11th. century when the Buddha is said to have converted the heretic King Jambupati by wearing royal attire. Jambupati is said to have been an arrogant King of great power who terrorized his subjects and King Bimbisara of Magadha, who was caused great anxiety through the magic practices of King Jambupati.
The Buddha asked him to forsake his evil ways and practice kindness, but Jambupati scoffed at this request. Realizing the king’s total arrogance, the Buddha magically appeared in resplendent royal attire that so humbled King Jambupati that he accepted the Buddhist precepts. King Jambupati accepted the dharma and became a monk.
In South East Asian countries such as Burma, where rulers enjoy a very high if not semi-divine status, tales of this type justify the need for the king to worship the Buddha as the King of Kings. These Jambupati Buddha Depictions are indigenous to Burma and relatively rare.
~!~
Shan Gray Concrete Slip
This depiction is done in Shan Gray Concrete Slip. Our own research has shown there is very little published concerning the paddle and anvil slip techniques of Burma. It is however, a model for modern cottage industry producing a type of folk pottery. Reliance on types of pottery in daily life is paramount as substitute materials, such as plastic and aluminum, are not readily available. At Sagaing, south of Mandalay, most of the female population of the village is involved in the production of pottery for local use. The primitive method of hand building a vessel using a paddle and anvil is still used extensively in Burma today. Many of the potters are elderly women who are not strong enough to work in the fields, and the younger generations do not seem to be interested in learning the craft of making hand-built slip stone pottery. Their output is extensive and the potters are traditional as well as innovative.
Shapes included ancient styles resulting from experimentation with clays and glazes. The clays are indigenous but the glaze materials are imported from the Shan state. Two other pottery centers, Keng Tuung and Mong Tung, are also located in the Shan state. Southern Burma abounds with pottery centers, due to the availability of raw materials. Despite this, export of pottery is banned as the customs inspectors can not tell the difference between newly made and antique pieces. The pieces that are found in this country are usually found in museums and private collections and rarely seen on the commercial market. As most of the pottery produced in the Shan provinces is utilitarian, ie; bowls, containers, vessels, etc. these Buddha depictions are extremely rare.
~!~
This Buddha
It is a paddle and anvil multiple pieced Jambupati Buddha in Vitarka Mudra. He wears simple robes with a royal crown which depicts another image of the Buddha which recalls the splendor of the Buddha in heaven, where he reveals himself to the bodhisattvas.
Vitarka Mudra
Meaning and Origin of the Teaching Mudra From BurmeseArt.com, for the most part...~!~
This image also bears a third eye.
Third Eye
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, for the most part.
The third eye (also called the mind's eye or inner eye) is a mystical invisible eye, usually depicted as located on the forehead, which provides perception beyond ordinary sight.
In Indian spiritual traditions, the third eye refers to the ajna (or brow) chakra.
The third eye refers to the gate that leads to the inner realms and spaces of higher consciousness. In spirituality, the third eye often symbolizes a state of enlightenment. The third eye is often associated with religious visions, clairvoyance, the ability to observe chakras and auras, precognition, and out-of-body experiences. People who are said to have the capacity to use their third eyes are sometimes known as seers. In Hinduism and Buddhism, the third eye is said to be located around the middle of the forehead, slightly above the junction of the eyebrows, representing the enlightenment one achieves through meditation. Hindus also place a "tilaka" between the eyebrows as a representation of the third eye which is also seen on expressions of Shiva. Buddhists regard the third eye as the "eye of consciousness" representing the vantage point from which enlightenment beyond one's physical sight is achieved, and use an urna to the same effect as Hindus.
In Taoism and many traditional Chinese religious sects such as Chan (called Zen in Japanese), "third eye training" involves focusing attention on the point between the eyebrows with the eyes closed, and while the body is in various qigong postures. The goal of this training is to allow students to tune into the correct "vibration" of the universe and gain a solid foundation on which to reach a more advanced meditative state. Taoism teaches that the third eye, also called the mind's eye, is situated between the two physical eyes, and expands up to the middle of the forehead when opened. Taoism asserts that the third eye is one of the main energy centers of the body located at the sixth Chakra, forming a part of the main meridian, the line separating left and right hemispheres of the body. In Taoist alchemical traditions, the third eye is the frontal part of the "Upper Dan Tien" (upper cinnabar field) and is given the evocative name "muddy pellet".
Adherents of theosophist H. P. Blavatsky have suggested that the third eye is in fact the partially dormant pineal gland, which resides between the two hemispheres of the brain. Reptiles and amphibians sense light via a third parietal eye—a structure associated with the pineal gland—which serves to regulate their circadian rhythms, and for navigation, as it can sense the polarization of light. C. W. Leadbeater thought that by extending an "etheric tube" from the third eye, it is possible to develop microscopic and telescopic vision. It has been asserted by Stephen Phillips that the third eye's microscopic vision is capable of observing objects as small as quarks. According to this belief, humans had in far ancient times an actual third eye in the back of the head with a physical and spiritual function. Over time, as humans evolved, this eye atrophied and sunk into what today is known as the pineal gland. Rick Strassman has hypothesized that the pineal gland, which maintains light sensitivity, is responsible for the production and release of DMT (dimethyltryptamine), an entheogen which he believes possibly could be excreted in large quantities at the moments of birth and death.
The use of the phrase mind's eye does not imply that there is a single or unitary place in the mind or brain where visual consciousness occurs. Philosopher Daniel Dennett has critiqued this view.
In Popular Literature
The 1956 novel The Third Eye by Lobsang Rampa (born Cyril Henry Hoskin, 1910–1981, a native of Plympton, Devonshire) introduced a fictional account of the third eye for the first time to a wide popular audience of English-speaking readers.
In the Dragon Ball series, the character Tien Shinhan is depicted with a third eye. Tien himself is based on Erlang Shen—a three-eyed Taoist deity and character in the Chinese classic Journey to the West. Tien obtained his third eye from years of intense meditation, but lost most of its powers due to being raised and corrupted by the villainous Master Shen.
In the Japanese anime / manga series YuYu Hakusho, one of the protagonist's core allies, a demon named Hiei has a physical third eye / Evil Eye (Jagan, referred to as the "Jagan Eye" in the English anime), surgically implanted into his forehead in order to use its psychic powers to aid in his search for his lost sister. The Jagan gives him clairvoyance and allows him to control lesser demons and humans with only a glance. The procedure is depicted as being extremely painful with few being able to withstand the pain of both the surgery and accompanying psychic adjustment to control the power of the Jagan.
~!~
This Buddha does not bear any regional, or maker's marks, and is in excellent overall condition with no sign of damage or repair. These were covered in a lichen like mildew when found and they have been pressure washed and treated with white vinegar with no ill affect.
He measures approximately 22 3/8 in height, x 15 3/4" length x 9" wide and weighs 10 lbs., 1 oz.!
It is certainly an unusual vintage Burmese Buddhist artifact with an extraordinary provenance that is much nicer than the photographs are able to depict.
~!~
We have been contacted and visited by a number of people who were interested in the items from this estate since our first batch was listed. Among the buyers have been known psychics and practitioners. More than one, after adorning themselves or handling their purchase, stated "this is a woman of power!" Many of our customers, after receiving items from this estate have reported dream contacts and other unexplained phenomenon.Unusual, authentic Voodoo Priestess Estate piece and at a bargain price!
The pieces offered and sold here are some of the few remaining pieces that will ever be offered to the public.
Nice addition to any collection, altar or decor that displays really well. Really doesn't get any better than this. There are 11 photographs, so please give them time to load, & enjoy the listing. Buyer to pay Actual Shipping for Insured UPS Ground Shipping with Tracking & handling based on a 27" x 20" x 15", 13 lb. package to street address in the Continental United States. ebay's Shipping Calculator is often wrong or not working. Feel free to email us for a Shipping Quote.Rest assured your order will be carefully packed to withstand the onslaught of the most deranged of UPS Workers.
Internationally Buyers, drop us an email and we will try to accommodate you.
Payment is due at listing end.
Check our other listings and sign up for our newsletter as new items are usually listed daily.
©Text and Photos Copyright 2001-2023 bushidobuce, all rights reserved.
~!~
Props are not part of the deal, but you knew that already.
~!~
Props are not part of the deal, but you knew that already.
~!~
~!~
It's companion currently resides on our front porch.
~!~
