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Expert’s note
Particularly noteworthy is the exceptional rarity of a monumental bronze sculpture of the Prakhon Chai style, excavated and preserved in such remarkable completeness as the present example. Bronzes of this period and type are most often known only in fragmentary condition, frequently surviving without the head or arms. Its outstanding state of preservation, combined with the remarkable beauty of its green mineralized patina, bearing eloquent witness to centuries of burial, confers upon this sculpture a singular importance and makes it an exceptionally rare survivor of the austere spiritual aesthetic that characterized early Buddhist Thailand.
Thailand, Buriram Province. Superbly cast, the four-armed deity shown standing gracefully in samabhanga, clad in a short sampot secured at the waist by a loosely knotted belt. The slender, bare torso rises to a finely modeled head with a serene expression, characterized by almond-shaped eyes, a delicate nose, and full lips surmounted by a thin moustache, all flanked by long, pendulous earlobes. The hair is neatly arranged in a towering coiffeur, composed of three tiers of looped curls and centered at the front by a stupa-shaped ornament.
Provenance: R. M. Collection, Sint-Pieters-Leeuw, Belgium, acquired between 1979 and 2009, thence by descent to his wife Marie-Anne Lefevre in 2023.
Condition: Very good condition with expected wear, casting irregularities, traces of weathering and corrosion, signs of prolonged burial, and flaking. The bronze exhibiting a rich, naturally grown patina, with extensive areas of vibrant malachite encrustations.
Weight: 3.6 kg (excl. stand), 5.1 kg (incl. stand)
Dimensions: Height 51.2 cm (excl. stand), 52.8 cm (incl. stand)
Mounted on an associated wood stand. (2)
The so-called “Prakhon Chai Hoard” was accidentally discovered by local villagers in 1964 at Prasat Hin Khao Plai Bat II, a tenth-century Khmer brick temple in Buriram Province. Concealed in a stone-covered pit within the temple precinct, the bronzes were likely buried during the site’s rededication for Brahmanical use. Some bear traces of cloth wrappings, evidence of careful ritual deposition. Initially misattributed to Prakhon Chai district, the cache in fact originated from nearby Lahan Sai, though the name has endured. Numbering at least fifty-three known examples and perhaps two to three hundred in total, it is possibly the largest and most important cache of Buddhist bronzes ever discovered in mainland Southeast Asia.
These sculptures embody a fusion of Mon-Dvaravati, Khmer, and pre-Angkorian traditions, yet reveal a strikingly local vision. Their slender bodies, serene faces, and restrained drapery convey a spiritual clarity unique to this region. Distinctive features, such as the carefully plaited coiffure of Avalokiteshvara figures, distinguish them from their Indian prototypes and mark them as products of the Korat Plateau. The predominance of Avalokiteshvara and Maitreya over images of the Buddha reflects the strength of Mahayana devotion during this period of Southeast Asian history.
The hoard was first systematically studied by Jean Boisselier in 1967, who emphasized both the stylistic unity of the bronzes and their pivotal role in understanding the development of art in the Korat Plateau. His chronology has since been refined through comparisons with sculptures from Ban Thahnot, Ban Fai, and pre-Angkorian Khmer monuments of the eighth century. Their high tin content, which gives the metal a luminous silvery sheen, only enhances their elegance. Today the Prakhon Chai bronzes remain essential witnesses to the religious and artistic ferment of early Southeast Asia, among the most evocative and enduring Buddhist images ever produced.
Literature comparison:
Compare a closely related smaller figure of Avalokiteshvara from Western Cambodia, dated second half of the 7th-early 8th century, 34.9 cm high, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, object number 1987.145. Compare a closely related larger Thai bronze figure of Avalokiteshvara, dated 8th century, 91.4 cm high, in the Walters Art Museum, accession number M.1980.14.S. Compare a closely related larger bronze figure of the Bodhisattva Maitreya, Prakhon Chai style, dated late 8th century, 122.5 cm high, in the Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth, Texas, accession number, AP 1965.01.
Auction result comparison:
Type: Related
Auction: Christie’s New York, 21 March 2015, lot 1067
Price: USD 81,250 or approx. EUR 101,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A bronze figure of Maitreya, Prakhon Chai style
Expert remark: Compare the closely related modeling, manner of casting, and subject. Note the similar size (47.6 cm) and later dating.
Auction result comparison:
Type: Related
Auction: Sotheby’s New York, 19 September 2008, lot 291
Price: USD 92,500 or approx. EUR 124,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: Maitreya, Eastern Thailand, Copper alloy with high tin content and silver inlay, Buriram Province, Prakhon Chai
Expert remark: Compare the closely related modeling, manner of casting, and subject. Note the smaller size (32.4 cm) and that this lot is now in the collection of the National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, accession number S2015.24.
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