18th Century Burmese Bronze Buddha. Cast, gilt bronze bare chested Buddha wearing long cape and fitted skirt, hands raised in front of chest, palms held outward, missing finial on top of head. In excellent condition. On custom stand, circa 1750, 18" high. Ex: Marcel Gibrat collection, New York. Buddhism in Burma is predominantly of the Theravada tradition, practiced by 89% of the country's population. It is the most religious Buddhist country in terms of the proportion of monks in the population and proportion of income spent on religion. The history of Buddhism in Burma probably extends more than two thousand years. The Sāsana Vaṃsa (Burmese Thathana Win), written by Pinyasami in 1834, summarises much of the history of Buddhism in Burma. According to the Mahavamsa, a Pali chronicle of fifth century Sri Lanka, Ashoka sent two bhikkhus, Sona and Uttara, to Suvarnabhumi around 228 BC with other monks and sacred texts, including books. Some scholars associate Suvarnabhumi with Burma.