登录
Finely cast seated in padmasana on a shaped base, his hands held in dharmachakra mudra, dressed in a loose-fitting sanghati draped elegantly over his left shoulder terminating in a fishtail hem and richly pooling to the base in heavy symmetrical folds.
The face with a serene, meditative expression marked by almond-shaped eyes, gently arched brows, aquiline nose, and slender lips forming a subtle smile, flanked by elongated concave ears.
The hair is neatly arranged in large snail-shell curls, each meticulously modeled individually, above the domed ushnisha.
Provenance: From a French private estate and thence by descent. The back of the base is engraved with the commemorative date "15/11/06" and the same date in Thai.
Condition: Good condition, commensurate with age, with expected natural wear and casting irregularities. Few holes to the back and scattered dents. Several layers of ancient lacquer coating and one layer of old varnish, some of which has peeled off over time. Fine malachite encrustations in some areas. The base with some modern repair work, only visible on the inside.
Weight: 20.8 kg
Dimensions: Height 63.4 cm
Expert’s note:
Images of Buddhas seated in the padmasana (lotus pose) atop a pedestal are rare in Thailand, as he is much more commonly seated in ardhapadmasana (half-lotus pose), with only one sole pointing upwards. Here, the pose allows for his voluminous garments to pool to the base, resulting in the formation of overlapping hems, a feature that is exceptionally rare in such striking form echoing the comparably conventional fishtail pleats hanging over his shoulder. These elements, more commonly associated with Buddhist sculpture from Tibet and Nepal, link the present figure to the Chiang Saen period, see for example a bronze seated Buddha dated to the 14th century in the Linden-Museum, Stuttgart.
The Kingdom of Angkor had exercised, in the period between 1000 and 1200, varying degrees of dominance in northeastern and central Thailand. In the century following that period, however, the political power of Angkor weakened, and in 1351 the Thai people established a new kingdom in central Thailand. Cultural influences flowed, and it is sometimes not easy to determine where a certain sculpture was made. Rapid religious change complicated the picture. The Hinduism and Mahayana Buddhism of Angkor were supplanted more and more by schools of non-Mahayana Buddhism from central Thailand, Burma, and Sri Lanka.
The present Buddha superbly models the confluence of these styles, evident in the subtle sculpting of the gently arched brows and almond-shaped eyes, reminiscent of the U-Thong style which in turn harkens back to Khmer art, see a related figure at Koller, Zürich, 30 October 2013, lot 460 (auction result comparison below). The spreading pedestal and symmetrical folds in front of the ankles link it to the Nakhon Si Thammarat tradition, see a related figure of Buddha dated 16th-17th century, Ayutthaya, Thailand, in the Walters Art Museum, accession number 54.2833. However, the larger face and rhythmic pooling of the garments is a nod to the more contemporaneous style of the Ayutthaya Kingdom which would later encompass much of Northern Thailand, aiding the further convergence of style and techniques associated with erstwhile kingdoms.
The Lan Na and Sukhothai influences exhibited by the present lot are also noteworthy and can be observed in the manner of casting the prominent snail-shell curls and the fishtail pleat at the shoulder. This confluence is not unusual, two eminent 14th century Phra Singh Buddhas blending elements of Lan Na and Sukhothai styles are discussed in Stratton, Buddhist Sculpture of Northern Thailand, Chicago, 2004, pp. 171-2, figs. 7.15 and 7.18. Ceasing to represent the Buddha in a Khmer manner by the 13th century, the emergent Thai kingdoms of Sukhothai and Lan Na developed their own emblematic Buddha images. Coded within Lan Na's Sihing type is an intriguing multiculturalism, with a physique and iconography drawn from Indian Gupta and Pala prototypes as they filtered through Pagan and Sri Lanka. This allowed these images to range from classical restraint to images in which one or another feature seems excessively dominant.
Literature comparison:
Compare a closely related bronze figure of a seated Buddha, with a similarly rounded face and downcast eyes, dated approx. 1375-1425, Thailand, in the Asian Art Museum, object number B60B994.
Auction result comparison:
Type: Related
Auction: Koller, Zürich, 30 October 2013, lot 460
Price: CHF 174,000 or approx. EUR 197,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: An exceptionally fine bronze figure of Buddha in Maravijaya position, Thailand, U-Thong, 14th century
Expert remark: Compare the related modeling and manner of casting with similar facial features, especially the sinuous eyes and subtly arched brows, and patina. Note the size (74 cm) and earlier date.
Auction result comparison:
Type: Related
Auction: Sotheby’s London, 21 September 2021, lot 63
Price: GBP 75,600 or approx. EUR 112,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: Seated Buddha, Thailand, Ayutthaya period, 16th-17th century
Expert remark: Compare the related modeling and manner of casting with similar padmasana (lotus pose) and pooling of the robe. Note the gilding and the size (97 cm).
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