Page 24 - 2020 December 2 Bonhams Arts of Devotion bronzes and Stone carvings

The art of the Khasa Mallas took inspiration from its neighboring cultures,
incorporating stylistic elements from the Kathmandu Valley, West Tibet, and Pala
India. As the Khasa Mallas had close contact with the Newars of Kathmandu,
influences from the Valley frequently prevail. For example, the present figure’s
sensuous modeling and broad countenance are classic Newari features.

There are a handful of corresponding Khasa Malla buddhas of this scale with which
to compare. One held by the Rubin Museum of Art shares some core features of
the Khasa Malla style, such as the common ‘rice-grain’ pattern in the robe hems
and the detailing of Buddha’s knuckles (Vajracharya, Nepalese Seasons: Rain and
Ritual, New York, 2016, pp.71-3, no.17). Moreover, two shared elements, which
are thought to depart from classic Nepalese sculpture, are the manner in which the
eyebrows do not meet in the center, but terminate just before the nose, and the left
hand being suspended above the lap, rather than resting in it (ibid.). Another large
Khasa Malla buddha was sold at Bonhams, New York, 19 March 2018, lot 3019.

Two idioms commonly attributed to the Khasa Mallas that the Rubin buddha has
which the present example does not are integrated earrings cast with the earlobes
and a pronounced contour where the shoulder meets the tricep. However, these
features are also absent on an Enshrined Buddha held in a private Chinese
collection, which is probably the most important in the category because it
bears a Khasa Malla inscription (Xiong (ed.), From the West to the East, Beijing,
2016, p.88-93). Another detail in which the present sculpture and the Enshrined
Buddha differ from the Rubin example, is the manner in which the robe terminates
before Buddha’s ankles. A fanning splay of ruffled edges is represented almost
ubiquitously throughout the Himalayas during this period, yet added to this are
a couple of layered folds that rest on top, partially eclipsing the fan slightly more
on the right side because the right leg is higher, resting on the left. This small, but
refined detail is performed superlatively in the present sculpture.

Provenance
Guy Kaufmann (1923-2010), Paris, acquired in the 1970s
Jacques Barrere Collection, Paris
Private Asian Collection

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