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Published: Ulrich von Schroeder, Nepalese Stone Sculptures, Volume Two – Buddhist, 2019, p. 1260-1261, pl. 395D.
Art Loss Register: ALR Ref. S00268489. A copy of the certification document accompanies the lot.
Expert’s note:
The present lot was photographed in 1976 at a monastery in Kathmandu together with its companion piece and was subsequently published by Ulrich von Schroeder in his seminal work Nepalese Stone Sculptures. The photographs appear to have been taken shortly before the sculpture left the monastery, as it is documented in the United Kingdom from “the mid-1970s” onwards (see the provenance letter shown below). Its first British owner is now deceased, and his full name has not been preserved. However, a certificate issued by the Art Loss Register confirms that the sculpture is not recorded as stolen or missing in any known database.
The precise circumstances under which this stele entered private hands may never be known. What is clear, however, is that it was photographed in situ at a Kathmandu monastery just before entering a British collection, providing an exceptionally early and well-documented provenance. Nepalese sculptures of this quality, accompanied by such early photographic documentation and a traceable collecting history, are exceptionally rare.
Nepal. Superbly carved, the disciple of Buddha standing in samabhanga atop a double-lotus pedestal and framed by a lappet aureole and halo. The figure holds an alms bowl (patra) in the left hand that is raised to the chest, while the other holds on to a staff (khakkhara) topped by a leaf-form medallion centered by a miniature stupa.
Simply adorned with a wide torque around the neck and large foliate earrings, the disciple is draped in the ripples of a sumptuous robe with incised hems, pleating elegantly to the ankles and left shoulder. The face with a serene expression, heavy-lidded downcast eyes under arched brows, a wide nose, and pursed lips forming a smile, the snail-shell curls neatly covering the rounded head.
Provenance: The private collection of Joanne Taylor, London, United Kingdom, acquired by her late husband in the mid-1970s. With a Hungarian art broker thereafter. Zacke, Vienna, 8 December 2018, lot 71, sold for EUR 11,000 or approx. EUR 18,500 (adjusted for inflation at the time of writing). The collection of Kristen Tomassi and Axel Dieter Ball, Mallorca, Spain, acquired from the above. Copies of a provenance statement written and signed by Joanne Taylor, dated 26 September 2018, stating expressly that the present lot had been in the United Kingdom since the mid-1970s, and a letter of provenance from Zacke, dated 5 March 2019, further confirming the provenance above, accompany this lot. Kristen Tomassi, an architect and designer based in Mallorca, was married early in her life to Richard Branson, who was already rising to prominence with Virgin Records. Her enduring partnership was with German entrepreneur and architect Axel Dieter Ball (1942-2026), with whom she co-founded La Residencia in Deià in 1984. The hotel, a family-run haven celebrating art and music, helped shape the luxury hotel scene of Mallorca, where the couple spent most of their lives together until Axel sadly passed away this year. Together, they built an impressive collection of Himalayan art throughout the 1980s and 1990s, purchasing pieces from renowned dealers and auction houses including Rossi & Rossi, David Tremayne, Annapurna, Sotheby’s, and Christie’s. Objects formerly in their collection have been exhibited by the Museum of Asian Art, Hong Kong, and the Art Institute of Chicago, featuring also in the exhibition catalog by Pratapaditya Pal et al., Himalayas – An Aesthetic Adventure (2003).
Condition: Good condition, commensurate with age. Expected wear, small losses – mostly to the aureole and base, old repairs and restorations to the feet and legs, remnants of pigment, signs of weathering and erosion, encrustations.
Weight: 63.2 kg (incl. stand)
Dimensions: Height 92 cm (excl. stand and tenor), 103 cm (incl. stand)
With a modern stand. (2)
Shariputra and Maudgalyayana are Buddha's two primary disciples. Shariputra was celebrated as the disciple foremost in wisdom. Renowned for his analytical mind and ability to explain difficult teachings clearly, he became one of the principal instructors of the monastic community and was known as the “General of the Dharma.” Maudgalyayana, by contrast, was regarded as foremost in supernatural or meditative powers. Buddhist narratives describe him traveling to other realms, communicating with spirits, and using miraculous abilities to guide beings and demonstrate the workings of karma. Together, they embodied the complementary qualities of wisdom and spiritual power. In Buddhist art, the pair commonly flank Shakyamuni, usually dressed as monks and carrying staffs and alms bowls. Shariputra traditionally occupies the Buddha’s right side and Maudgalyayana the left. Their presence not only identifies the central figure as the historical Buddha but also represents the early sangha and the transmission of his teachings through his foremost followers.
Literature comparison:
Compare the pair to the present lot, depicting Maudgalyayana, also photographed in 1976 at Arakhu Bahi Monastery, Yatkha Tole, Kathmandu, also published in Ulrich von Schroeder, Nepalese Stone Sculptures, Vol. 2 – Buddhist, Switzerland, 2019, p. 1260-1261, pl. 395E. Compare two closely related stone stele of Shariputra and Maudgalyayana, Tebahal Tole Monastery, Kathmandu City, dated to the 15th-18th century, published in the Huntington Archive, numbers 19340 and 19339.
Auction result comparison:
Type: Related
Auction: Christie’s New York, 23 March 1999, lot 84
Price: USD 46,000 or approx. EUR 82,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A stone stele of Buddha Shakyamuni, Nepal, circa 12th century
Expert remark: Compare the related modeling and manner of carving with similar flaming aureole. Note the size (78.2 cm) and earlier dating.
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