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This pair of Buddhist monks, though somewhat mismatched (see below), are among the most beautiful renditions of Buddha's acolytes Sariputra and Maugdalyana in this media I have seen. Usually referred to as "alabaster", this is somewhat of a misnomer. Actually a very fine white marble, of the type used in some egyptian sarcophogi, a more correct (but lengthier) version would be "Oriental Alabaster".
These are not a true pair ... that is to say, they were made at different times, though possibly the later of the two was made to match the earlier. As you see them in the picture, the one on the left carries quite a few hallmarks of the late 18th, early 19th century, as well as a slightly greater degree of wear. The stone is also somewhat different ... the one on the left has a milkier appearance where as the one on the right has a more translucent effect. For the sake of brevity, I won't go into too much detail on the subject here, but feel free to ask.
That being said, they were found as a set (along with a pair in wood with similar circumstances), and they go well together. The placid beauty of the facial features of the one on the left contrasts well with an almost impish quality to the smile of the one on the right ... which has the most expressive face I have seen in late 19th century Mandalay style sculpture. The details of the robes .. the embellishments in glass and ornamentation to the trim ... are composed of or attached with lacquer based thayo, and could easily have been made to match. The older of the two dates to probably around the middle of the 19th century, possibly a bit earlier. The one on the right, with the impish smile, is probably from around the 1880s. Both have been carefully cleaned ... I'll include a before picture.
The one on the right also has a re-attached ear lobe on his true right side.
Feel free to ask for more details and pictures.
Left: approximately 27"x 12.5"x 11.5"
Right: approximately 26.5"x 15"x 9"
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