Page 40 - Bonhams, Indian and Himalayan Art New York July 23, 2020

840 W
A LARGE COPPER ALLOY FIGURE OF BUDDHA Good points of comparison are three Phayao bronzes dated by their
PHAYAO, NORTHERN THAILAND, LATE 15TH CENTURY inscriptions to 1474/7, 1497 and 1498 (Stratton, Buddhist Sculpture
35 in. (88.8 cm) high of Northern Thailand, Chiang Mai, 2003, pp.235 & 253, figs.8.124-
5 & 9.20). In terms of scale and quality, closest of these is the first,
$25,000 - 35,000 which is in the Bangkok National Museum and was commissioned by
Prince Yuthisathian, the governor of Phayao and former suzerain of
帕堯 泰國北部 十五世紀晚期 佛陀銅像 Phitsanulok. It is also discussed in Woodward, The Sacred Sculpture
of Thailand, Bangkok, 1997, p.189, fig.188.
Shown seated in maravijaya pose with elegantly contoured hands,
this Northern Thai buddha image has distinctive facial features that Published
emphasize Buddha’s blissful contentedness. The sculpture is from Bolaffi Arte, No. 29, Milan, 1973, p.32
Phayao stylistically, which was an important principality bordering
Chiang Rai and Laos. Phayao’s workshop is renowned for its buddhas Provenance
carved from locally sourced pink sandstone. The faces of Phayao Private Collection of a Noble Italian Family since 1950s
buddhas have prominent brows that are not as highly arched as Thence by descent to the current owner
neighboring styles. They also have a well-defined philtrum between
the nose and mouth which is softly modeled without relying on hard
ridges. Also, their chins do not have the modeled rounded ‘ball’
common to other Northern Thai styles (Sukhothai and Lan Na, for
example).

38 | BONHAMS