Page 120 - Bonhams IMages of Devotion, Hong Kong Nov 30 2022

1046
A GILT COPPER ALLOY FIGURE OF STANDING BUDDHA
SRI LANKA, KANDYAN PERIOD, 18TH CENTURY
29.2 cm (11 1/2 in.) high

HKD120,000 - 160,000
斯里蘭卡 康提時期 十八世紀 銅鎏金佛陀像

The Kandyan style which is depicted here, plays with elements of abstraction
of form and line. The curved contour of the figure’s right side contrasts with the
straight edge of its left, and the gilded surface is finished using formalized waves
to convey the wrinkling of a light cotton robe under Sri Lanka’s tropical humidity.

This sculpture stands out for its gentle air and handsome face, which is
proportionally smaller and more naturalistic than other examples. There is a natural
gradient to the slope of the broad shoulders which tapers to delicately depicted
fingers, especially that of the lowered hand. Contrasting pieces are published
alongside this figure in Phoenix Art Museum, Guardian of the Flame, 2003, pp.
148-9. As Listopad notes, while Kandyan Buddha images appear similar at first
glance, “a great deal of variation in terms of quality and iconometry governs the
shapes and proportions of the Buddha bodies, most notably the shapes and
features of the heads” (Phoenix Art Museum, Legacy of Kings, 2021, pp. 98-9).

Published
Phoenix Art Museum, Guardian of the Flame: Art of Sri Lanka, Phoenix, 2003,
p. 148.

Exhibited
Guardian of the Flame: Art of Sri Lanka, Phoenix Art Museum, 8 February - 11
May 2003; The Cantor Art Center, Stanford University, 2 March - 12 June 2005;
University of Virginia Art Museum, 21 January - 19 March 2006.

Provenance
Private Collection, US, by 1957
Thence by descent

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