Page 145 - March 23 2022 Boinghams NYC Indian and Himalayan Art

THE PROPERTY OF AN EAST COAST COLLECTOR
465
A BRONZE FIGURE OF BUDDHA
THAILAND, SUKOTHAI PERIOD, 13TH-14TH CENTURY
18Ω in. (47 cm.) high
$15,000-20,000
PROVENANCE:
Private collection, Alexandria, Virginia, by 15 August 1974.
With its gently arching brows, wide and prominent nose, and full cheeks, the
present figure stylistically aligns with the art of the Sukhothai kingdom. In
the fifteenth century, the Ayutthaya kingdom conquered Sukhothai but rather
than forcibly integrating it into the Ayutthayan empire, they installed their
own bureaucracy and allowed it a degree of autonomy. The Sukhothai style
continued to exert an influence on the Buddhist art of Thailand, even after its
descent from power.
The slender bronze depicts the Buddha in a seated position, a serene,
meditative expression on his face. His right hand faces downwards in the
bhumisparsha mudra, or earth-calling position, a reference to the Buddha
calling on the Earth goddess to confirm his right to enlightenment after his
triumph over the demon Mara. The use of the bhumisparsha mudra is likely
a result of Pala Dynasty influence (by way of Burma and North Thailand).
Other influences on the distinct Sukhothai style include Sanskrit poetry and
Sinhalese details, such as the flame on ushnisha, a detail used in subsequent
Thai styles.
Compare the facial features and treatment of the drapery of the present work
with a bronze figure of Buddha from the fifteenth century, illustrated by H.
Woodward, Jr. in The Sacred Sculpture of Thailand, London, 1997, p. 170, fig.
171; one discernable difference is the hairline, which is linearly defined in the
present work, in contrast to the earlier, cited example.

A Bronze Figure of Buddha from the James and Marilynn
Alsdorf Collection; 11 ¼ in. (28.5 cm.) high; sold,
Christie’s New York, 22 March 2011, lot 34, for $20,000.
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