Cast Bronze Wednesday Evening Buddha, Phra Lae Lei, 9 Inches

This is the Wednesday evening Buddha in the Thai weekday set: Phra Lae Lei (ปางป่าเลไลยก์), the forest pose. He sits at ease while a monkey and an elephant come forward with offerings. The story is the retreat in the Parileyya forest, when those two animals brought honeycomb and fruit and stayed near him. In Thai telling it is a picture of plain giving, not of rank.

People born on a Wednesday evening often keep this image. Wednesday is split in the Thai calendar: morning is the alms-bowl standing figure, evening is this forest seat. The match is household custom, not a promise about fortune.

Cast

The figure is cast bronze, made by lost wax. Wax is shaped over a core, then covered with a mold that can take heat. The mold is fired, the wax leaves, and molten bronze is poured into the space the wax left. When the metal is cool the shell is knocked off, and the monkey, the elephant, and the robe edge are cleaned up. The listing does not name a gold coating.

Size

• Height: 9 inches
• Pose: seated in the forest, with monkey and elephant
• Day: Wednesday evening
• Material: cast bronze

Small enough for a shelf or a home altar. The old address on this page says 8 inches. The figure itself is listed at 9.

Care

Dust with a soft, dry cloth. Leave the bronze tone alone if you want the cast surface. A polish will brighten it and will also remove the darker metal in the folds.