Page 42 - Bonhams, Images of Devotion, April 21 2021

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A GILT COPPER ALLOY FIGURE OF SHAKYAMUNI Yet several features exhibited in the present work are distinctly Khasa
KHASA MALLA, 13TH/14TH CENTURY Malla. For example, Shakyamuni’s forehead differs from Newari types,
Himalayan Art Resources item no.61907 which tend to be broader. Also, his eyebrows are high and slanting,
26 cm (10 1/4 in.), height including tangs; his nose beak-shaped, and his mouth narrow with plump lips.
25 cm (9 7/8 in.), height excluding tangs Additionally, his wavy eyelids widen at the sides. Compare the almost
identical physiognomy on a Khasa Malla Shadakshari published
HKD500,000 - 700,000 in Alsop, “The Metal Sculpture of the Khasa Malla Kingdom”, in
Orientations: Art of Tibet, Hong Kong, 1998, p.167, fig.9. The
Shadakshari also has a similar base, with rounded, double-lobed
卡薩馬拉王朝 十三/十四世紀 銅鎏金釋迦牟尼像 petals under a thick beaded upper rim and a plain rear.

Of impressive figural volume and quality, this gilt bronze figure of The Khasa Mallas enlivened their Buddhist sculptures with well-
Shakyamuni stems from the Khasa Malla Kingdom, which ruled over observed details, such as the present figure’s defined knuckles and
the Karnali Basin in western Nepal and parts of western Tibet between subtle toning around the shoulder muscles. These characteristics
the 12th and 14th centuries. The Khasa Malla rulers were devout are repeated on a larger gilt bronze of the same subject in the Rubin
Buddhist patrons whose artistic commissions display a distinct stylistic Museum of Art, published in Vajracharya, Nepalese Seasons: Rain and
identity. Ritual, New York, 2016, p.72, no.17. Moreover, the Rubin Shakyamuni
shows a double-layered ‘fishtail’ pleat over Shakyamuni’s left shoulder,
The arts of the Khasa Mallas incorporated stylistic elements from the and plump hands and feet similar to the present bronze.
neighboring cultures of western Tibet, Pala India, and the Kathmandu
Valley. Due to their sustained interaction with the Valley, the Khasa Provenance
Mallas benefitted most from Newari designs and expertise. The Ex-Private German Collection
naturalistic and sensuous modeling of the present figure, for instance,
is a hallmark of the Newari style. The notable losses to the gilded
surface, caused by thin application and frequent rubbing during
devotional practice, are also similar to those of gilt bronzes from the
Kathmandu Valley.

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