Page 60 - CHRISTIE'S Himalayan and SOutheast Asian Works of Art 09/13/17

633

PROPERTY FROM A DISTINGUISHED PRIVATE WEST COAST COLLECTION PROPERTY FROM THE COLLECTION OF KLAUS KERTESS, NEW YORK

633 634
A SILK AND GOLD BROCADE IKAT SONGKET A BRONZE FIGURE OF BUDDHA

INDONESIA, PALEMBANG, LATE 19TH CENTURY THAILAND, MON DVARAVATI STYLE, 9TH/10TH CENTURY
35Ω x 81Ω in. (90 x 207 cm.) 10¬ in. (27 cm.) high
$6,000-8,000
印尼 巨港 十九世紀末 金錦綢絣 $20,000-30,000

PROVENANCE 泰國 陀羅缽地風格 九/十世紀 銅佛陀像

Acquired by the present owner by 8 March 1997. PROVENANCE
Considered family heirlooms, songkets of this type were given by a
groom to his bride’s family. The central ikat pattern of the present with Doris Wiener, New York.
example is fnely woven into a multi-colored abstract lotus pattern on Acquired by the present owner from the above, 11 December 1995.
a crimson background with lavish gold brocade borders and ends in a
foral motif. Compare the color palette with a slightly smaller songket in The standing fgure of the Buddha with both hands raised in the gesture
the Museum of Fine Arts Boston, which does not include the gold thread of vitarkamudra - the gesture of elucidation or argumentation - is an
embellishments (MFA 43.18). iconographic form unique to mainland Southeast Asia. The thumb and
forefnger, joined at the tips, form a circle representing both perfection
58 and eternity. The square-shaped face has nearly closed, heavily-lidded
eyes, a wide nose and full lips. The hair is thick with curls that rise over
the ushnisha. The monastic robes cling closely to the body, giving an
impression of the fesh beneath. Rather than a rigid frontal position, the
stance is more relaxed, blending Gupta tradition with regional features,
such as more accentuated shoulders. The body is sensitively modeled,
focusing on the purity and fuidity of form, hallmarks of Dvaravati style.
Compare the proportions and rendering of the face with a tenth century
bronze fgure of Buddha (H.W. Woodward, The Sacred Sculpture of
Thailand, Baltimore, 1997, p.70, fg.68). Both fgures also portray a frontal
posture, though the present work conveys more supple, fuid modeling
often found in slightly earlier examples, such as an eighth/ninth century
bronze fgure of Buddha sold at Christie’s New York on 13 September,
2016, lot 250.