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Expert’s note:
The present lot is remarkably rare for its exquisite workmanship, fine silver inlay, and substantial size, with few comparable examples of this scale known to survive. Its costly materials and commanding presence identify it as a major commission, created for an important temple of the Pagan Kingdom.
Pagan sculpture was profoundly influenced by the Pala style, particularly the bronzes of Kurkihar, reflecting the monastic and pilgrimage networks connecting Burma with eastern India.
Compare the long flaring robe and elegant silhouette of the Sonnery Kurkihar Buddha, sold at Bonhams Hong Kong, 3 October 2017, lot 16 (fig. 1). The undulating folds, oval face, and sharply defined nose also recall the monumental standing Buddhas at Shwezigon Pagoda, cast during the reign of King Kyansittha (1084–1112/13). Pala conventions were likewise absorbed by the Buddhist workshops of Chola-period South India, producing strikingly similar images. Compare a gilt-bronze Buddha of the 11th–12th century in the Victoria and Albert Museum, accession number IPN.2639 (fig. 2), described by the museum as being “in the style closely associated with the port city of Nagapattinam, coastal Tamil Nadu.” Together, these parallels place the present figure within the extensive artistic and religious networks that united the great Buddhist centers surrounding the Bay of Bengal.
Magnificently cast, depicted standing on a double-lotus pedestal, with the right hand raised in vitarka mudra and the left lowered, holding the tip of the diaphanous sanghati that falls in gently undulating folds above the feet. The sensitively modeled face bears a serene, meditative expression, distinguished by downcast eyes beneath gently arched brows, centered by a raised, silver-inlaid urna, a slender nose, and full lips forming a subtle smile, all flanked by long, pendulous earlobes. The hair is neatly arranged in tight curls covering the domed ushnisha, which is surmounted by a bud-shaped finial.
The eyes, fingers, and toenails are all inlaid in silver, with clearly visible wear to the silver in places, providing further evidence of the object’s considerable age.
Provenance: Galerie Peter Hardt, Radevormwald, Germany. Collection of Dr. Kai-Torsten Hohn, Dresden, Germany, acquired from the above. A copy of the invoice from Galerie Peter Hardt, dated 19 May 2014, addressed to Kai-Torsten Hohn, confirming the dating above, and stating a purchase price of EUR 45,000 (or approx. EUR 60,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing), accompanies the lot. Galerie Peter Hardt was founded by Peter Kienzle-Hardt (b. 1946), a now-retired German art dealer whose engagement with Asian and Himalayan art spans more than five decades and is grounded in extensive first-hand experience in the region. His career began with a formative world journey in 1973, during which he traveled widely throughout Asia, laying the foundation for a lifelong commitment to the study, acquisition, and dissemination of rare works of art and antiquities. Over the ensuing decades, he organized numerous exhibitions, participated in major international art fairs, and established a reputation as a discerning specialist, particularly in Tibetan, Himalayan, and broader Asian sculptural traditions. Much of the material he handled was acquired directly through travel and long-standing personal networks, lending his connoisseurship an experiential depth that is increasingly rare. In 2014, he established the Museum für Asiatische Kunst, conceived as a public institution presenting a comprehensive survey of Asian art, comprising works from the Kienzle Family Collection supplemented by objects from his own collection. In September 2025, Galerie Zacke held a highly successful auction of objects deaccessioned from the Museum für Asiatische Kunst, achieving a remarkable 99% sell-through rate. Dr. Kai-Torsten Hohn is a German surgeon and distinguished collector whose passion for art began in his youth, when he accompanied his parents on extensive travels to the ancient civilizations of the Mediterranean. This early exposure sparked his lifelong interest in collecting, initially focusing on ancient and Islamic art. Over the years, his travels to various Asian countries led to the formation of a significant collection centered on Buddhism and Tibet.
Condition: Very good condition with expected wear, casting irregularities, surface corrosion, two areas of old fill to the shoulder and pedestal, fatigue cracks to the back, light warping, and a few minor dents. The bronze with a fine, naturally grown dark patina with beautiful reddish cuprite accents, typical of early Pagan copper alloys.
Weight: 22.4 kg
Dimensions: Height 85.5 cm
The Kingdom of Pagan was the first Burmese kingdom to unify the regions that would later constitute modern-day Myanmar. Pagan's 250-year rule over the Irrawaddy valley and its periphery laid the foundation for the ascent of Burmese language and culture, the spread of Bamar ethnicity in Upper Myanmar, and the growth of Theravada Buddhism in Myanmar and in mainland Southeast Asia. The Burmese language and culture gradually became dominant in the upper Irrawaddy valley, eclipsing the Pyu, Mon, and Pali norms by the late 12th century.
Theravada Buddhism slowly began to spread to the village level although Tantric, Mahayana, Brahmanic, and animist practices remained heavily entrenched in all social strata. Pagan's rulers built over 10,000 Buddhist temples in the Bagan Archaeological Zone of which over 2,000 remain today. The wealthy donated tax-free land to religious authorities. The kingdom went into decline in the mid-13th century as the continuous growth of tax-free religious wealth by the 1280s had severely affected the crown's ability to retain the loyalty of courtiers and military servicemen. This ushered in a vicious circle of internal disorders and external challenges by the Arakanese, Mons, Mongols, and Shans. Repeated Mongol invasions between 1277 and 1301 toppled the four-century-old kingdom.
Literature comparison:
Compare a closely related Pagan bronze figure of Buddha, dated 12th century, 47.4 cm high, in the Art Institute of Chicago, reference number 2016.106. Compare a closely related Pagan bronze figure of Buddha, dated 12th-13th century, 50.5 cm high, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, object number 1993.235.1.
Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Christie’s New York, 17 September 1998, lot 170
Price: USD 134,500 or approx. EUR 227,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A large bronze figure of Buddha, Burma, Pagan period, 12th century
Expert remark: Compare the closely related subject, modeling, and manner of casting, with similar pose, flaring sanghati with undulating folds, oval face, and high ushnisha with bud-shaped finial. Note the silver-inlaid eyes and the size (50.5 cm).
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