Page 8 - Indian and Himalayan Art Mar 21, 2018 NYC

THE PROPERTY OF A DISTINGUISHED GENTLEMAN
301
A GILT BRONZE FIGURE OF
LOKANATHA AVALOKITESHVARA
NORTHEAST INDIA, PALA PERIOD,
11TH CENTURY
3Ω in. (9 cm.) high
$15,000-20,000
PROVENANCE
Dr. J.R. Belmont collection, Basel, before 1964,
by repute.
Christian Humann (d.1981), Pan-Asian Collection,
New York.
The collection of Robert H. Ellsworth, New York,
by 1982.
Christie’s New York, 21 September 2007, lot 100.
LITERATURE
C.L. Reedy, Himalayan Bronzes: Technology, Style,
and Choice, Newark, 1997, fg. N246
Himalayan Art Resource (himalayanart.org), item
no. 24387
This form of Avalokiteshvara, known in English as
“Savior of the World”, was particularly popular during
the early Pala period in Northeastern India. He is one
of three principal deities of Mahayana Buddhism,
along with Shakyamuni, who represents the present,
and Maitreya, the future Buddha. Lokanatha displays
some distinctly Shaivite features, namely a high
chignon of coiled locks and a sensuous, supple body.
By the eleventh century, however, one can clearly see
the fusion of Brahmanical and Buddhist iconography
that appears in this region—particularly the shakta
infuence of jata in Buddhist images. Here, an efigy
of Amitabha sitting at the base of the jata identifes
him as unequivocally Buddhist.

Centuries of adulation reveal a rich coppery patina
highlighted by remnants of the original gilding.
Fine details such as the lotus buds at his shoulders
and traces of a stippled fower motif on the dhoti
suggest that despite its miniature size, this sculpture
was created by a highly accomplished artist. For
comparison, see a twelfth century bronze fgure of
Maitreya in the Nyingjei Lam collection (HAR item
no. 68420).
印度東北部 帕拉王朝 十一世紀 鎏金銅觀音菩薩像

Chandra L. Reedy, Himalayan Bronzes: Technology, Style,
and Choice, Newark, 1997, cover and p. 230, fg. N246.
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