Page 20 - Indian and Himilayan Art

PROPERTY FROM A PRIVATE EUROPEAN COLLECTION

217
A GILT BRONZE FIGURE OF BUDDHA SHAKYAMUNI
NEPAL, 14TH/15TH CENTURY
An inscription on the verso translates to Great Bodhisattva
10Ω in. (26.5 cm.) high

$100,000-200,000

PROVENANCE:

Acquired from Sotheby’s London, 21 October 1993, lot 468.

PUBLISHED:

Himalayan Art Resource (himalayanart.org), item no. 24161

This magnifcent sculpture elegantly depicts the moment in which Buddha Shakyamuni
achieves enlightenment. Seated in meditation under the Bodhi tree, Buddha maintains
his deep introspective state despite Mara’s attempts to frighten and distract him.
Having overcome all of Mara’s threats, Buddha presses a single fnger to the Earth to
witness his enlightenment.

The Nepalese artists of the fourteenth century were revered for creating sculpture
with “a subtle balance between ornamentation and form.” The present work embodies
the “fnesse in the handling of detail with remarkable mastery of sculptural form
demonstrating the extraordinary virtuosity of Nepalese artists” (J. Casey, Divine
Presence: Art of the Himalayas, Barcelona, 2003, p.44). Seated in dhyanasana on a
double-lotus base, the present fgure appears flled with prana, the breath of life, his
rounded voluminous body emphasizing his spiritual fullness. The square face with
elongated almond-shaped eyes centered with a turquoise-inlaid urna, hooked nose and
small bow-shaped lips are reminiscent of Pala period prototypes. The fnely detailed
crown and delicately beaded hem of the robe are hallmarks of the Malla period. The
thick, lustrous gilding reveals areas of the rich copper surface beneath, a characteristic
revered by connoisseurs of Nepalese bronze sculpture.

This fgure may be compared for its balanced proportions, rounded modeling, fne
details and radiant patina with a fourteenth-century Nepalese Crowned Buddha sold
at Christie’s New York on 19 March 2014.

217

A Gilt Copper Figure of Crowned Buddha,
14th century, Nepal, 10¼ in. (26 cm.) high
Christie’s New York, 19 March 2014, lot 1010,
sold for $509,000