 WALKING BUDDHA Current and Past Exhibitions
Catalogue no. 41.WALKING BUDDHA.LAOS, LUANG PRABANG AREA.SECOND HALF OF THE 19TH CENTURY.H. (INCLUDING BASE) 144.8 CMS, 57 INS.H. (BUDDHA ONLY) 108 CMS, 42 ½ INS.A gilded and black lacquered Buddha of slender form standing on an hourglass shaped base, the left hand raised in abhayamudra and the right pendant by his side, his face tranquil beneath a raised chignon ascending to a flame finial with lotus petals around its base.The fully in-the-round walking Buddha originated in Sukhothai, Central Thailand, in the 14th century, probably deriving from 12th century bas-reliefs at Pagan, Burma and in Sri Lanka. It is said to represent the Buddha Sakyamuni in the third week following his Enlightenment, when he walked back and forth planning his future, but another interpretation is that it represents his descent from the Tavatimsha Heaven, to which he had risen in order to preach to his mother. For a Sukothai prototype walking Buddha, see cat. no. 59 in H.W. Woodward, The Sacred Sculpture of Thailand: The Alexander B. Griswold Collection, Baltimore: Walters Art Gallery, 1997. For an example of a walking Buddha from Laos, see page 228 in S. Lopetcharat, Lao Buddha: The Image and Its History, Bangkok: Siam International Book Company, 2000.
|  VOLCANIC ANDESITE FIGURE OF GANESHA Current and Past Exhibitions
Catalogue no. 11.VOLCANIC ANDESITE FIGURE OF GANESHA.EASTERN JAVA.EARLY PERIOD.10TH - 11TH CENTURY.. H. 69 CMS, 27 INS.A large volcanic andesite figure of Ganesha seated on a cushion (asana) of skulls, his feet pressed together, holding a bowl of sweetmeats in his left hand and a skullcap in his right; wearing a thick diagonal upavita (sacred thread) and extensive jewellery including basubands, bracelets and belts, with matted hair and an intricate headdress surmounted by a further skull.Images of Ganesha in Indonesian art are characterized by many of the same attributes as those of his father, Siva. These include a crown of matted hair, a skull (sometimes with a crescent moon), and a sacred thread (upavita) in the form of a serpent. For a related example, see p. 335 no. 5 in Edi Sedyawati, Ganesha Statuary of the Kadiri and Sinhasari periods, Leiden, 1994.PROVENANCE: Private collection, U.K.
|  UNGLAZED POTTERY MODEL OF A CAMEL Current and Past Exhibitions
Catalogue no. 1.UNGLAZED POTTERY MODEL OF A CAMEL. CHINA.TANG DYNASTY.618 - 907 AD. L: 59 CMS, 23 INS.H: 74 CMS, 29 INS. A magnificent pottery model of a Bactrian camel with a foreign rider, probably a Sogdian groom, seated with his arms raised as if grappling with the reins, dressed in characteristic full length Central Asian jacket with wide lapels and long boots, his bearded face with large eyes under bushy brows, a large beaked nose and a thick curling moustache, astride a large detachable saddle bag slung between the camel’s humps, rendered in accurate detail with various attachments including a flask and rabbit skin to each side, the animal superbly modelled as if striding forwards with beautifully sculpted head, the braying mouth wide open to reveal realistically rendered teeth, palate and tongue, with wide eyes and flaring nostrils, the upturned neck with bushy mane, the strong slender legs with well delineated tendons and padded feet, the dark grey earthenware body with traces of white slip remaining. For travellers and merchants along the Silk Road, camels provided the most dependable means of transportation, as they were able to carry heavy loads and survive the rigours of thirst, heat and cold. They have often been described as ‘Ships of the Desert’. Heading west, camel cargoes contained silk, but also ceramics, spices and tea. On the return trips they were loaded with treasures from the western world including gold, coloured glass, pigments for glazes and exotic furs. For a comparable figure of a camel with a Central Asian rider, see fig. 241 in Hao Qian et al, Out of China’s Earth: Archeological Discoveries in the People’s Republic of China. London: Frederick Muller; Beijing : China Pictorial, 1981. A remarkable example of a unglazed camel with rider holding an owl was sold at Sotheby’s in New York, March 2002, for US$412,750, Lot no 55, sale no N07771. For a detailed history of pottery figures of camels, see E. R. Knauer, The Camel’s Load in Life and Death, Zurich: Akanthus, 1998.Age verified by four point Oxford Thermoluminescence Test C106j52.PROVENANCE: Private French collection.
|  UNGLAZED POTTERY EARTH SPIRIT Current and Past Exhibitions
Catalogue no. 12.UNGLAZED POTTERY EARTH SPIRITCHINATANG DYNASTY, 618 – 907H. 54 CMS, 21 INSA dynamic, unglazed pottery earth spirit, superbly carved in a rampant posture of defiance, with his right hand raised and his left grappling with a poisonous toad, the ferocious looking guardian beast sporting long flame like spikes all along its spine rising above a face with bulging eyes and curly beard, its muscular body and legs suppressing the movement of a supine boar at his feet, the whole group resting on a rock said to represent the Buddhist celestial mountain, Mount Sumeru, finely painted pigments to the chest and lower body in the form of large leafy white flowerheads remaining. Earth spirits were placed in pairs inside the entrance of a tomb acting as guardian beasts. Early, Sui dynasty examples were simply modelled but by the 8th century of the Tang dynasty, as is seen here, the expressions and accoutrements had become more exaggerated. For a closely related example see page 53, plate 42, J. Baker, Seeking Immortality, Santa Ana, California, 1996. See also number 152 in Selected Tang Tomb Figurines Excavated in Shaanxi Province, Beijing, 1958. Age verified by Oxford thermoluminescence test.
|  TWO STANDING BUDDHAS Current and Past Exhibitions
1 and 2 TWO STANDING BUDDHAS. LAOS, FROM THE VICINITY OF LUANG PRABANG.SECOND HALF OF THE 19TH CENTURY.H. (INCLUDING FINIALS): 83 CMS, 32 ¾ INS (LEFT)AND 82 CMS, 32 ¼ INS (RIGHT).Two gilded and lacquered wood figures of standing Buddhas on high pedestals, their raised usnishas topped by flame finials, with eyes half-closed in meditation and faces gentle and serene; the left one standing in double abhayamudra and the right with hands crossed in front of his chest in the gesture of ‘reflection’. Laotian sculpture is rare, especially when crafted in friable materials like wood, which often falls victim to humidity or to insects. The Laotian kingdom of Lan Xang or Lan Chang was established during the 14th century and ruled by Thais. Its northern capital of Luang Prabang was subjected to cultural influences from the northern Thai city of Chiang Mai, while its southern capital, Vientiane, absorbed Khmer and Ayutthaya (Thai) motifs. Among the four thousand Buddha images left by worshippers at the Pak Ou (Tam Ting) Caves, near Luang Prabang, are many examples of this type. For two related examples, please see pages 246 and 248 in S. Lopetcharat, Lao Buddha: The Image and Its History, Bangkok: Siam International Book Company, 2000. For more on the Pak Ou caves, see page 33 in D. Heywood, Ancient Luang Prabang, Bangkok: River Books, 2006.RIGHT HAND FIGURE IS SOLD.
|  TERRACOTTA HEAD OF A BODHISATTVA Current and Past Exhibitions
28 TERRACOTTA HEAD OF A BODHISATTVA. NORTHWEST PAKISTAN OR AFGHANISTAN.GANDHARA, 4TH - 5TH CENTURY AD.HADDA STYLE. H. 18.5 CMS, 7 ¼ INS. A delightful terracotta head of a Bodhisattva wearing an elaborate diadem with pentagonal designs representing gold repoussé plaques above a braided band; the hair in wavy lines, the face well-proportioned and the eyes cast down in meditation, a well-formed nose above a sensitive mouth. The use of stucco and terracotta as a substitute for the grey schist of many early Gandhara sculptures led to a greater freedom of expression and innovation. For a similar terracotta head from the Robert Ellsworth collection please see fig. 199 in Deborah E. Klimburg-Salter, Buddha in Indien, Vienna: Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien, 1995. For a terracotta Bodhisattva head with similar repoussé plaques, see catalogue no. 15 in Treasures from the Silk Road: Devotion, Conquest and Trade along Asia’s highways, Spink, 1999.
|  TABERNACLE WITH SEATED BUDDHA Current and Past Exhibitions
Catalogue no. 6.TABERNACLE WITH SEATED BUDDHA.THAILAND.LOPBURI STYLE.12TH – 13TH CENTURY.H. (OVERALL) 65 CMS, 25 ½ INS.W. (BOTTOM OF BASE) 23 CMS, 9 INS.An exceptionally rare and important bronze tabernacle of four parts, containing a crowned and jewelled Buddha seated in bhumisparsimudra (the gesture of ‘summoning the earth to witness’) on a tall pedestal decorated with dancing apsaras and the demons of Mara’s army, wearing a three-piece monastic robe, elaborate crown, necklace and earrings once set with precious or semi-precious stones, the central figure enclosed by a naga arch and a flame-edged aureole; the entire ensemble surmounted by a stylised bodhi tree containing three further Buddhas and a circular boss representing the sun.This outstanding, elaborate image has a glossy, greenish-black patina and represents the final week of the Buddha’s fast as he overcomes Mara and attains enlightenment. During the early part of the 13th century the central Thai province of Lopburi shook off its domination by the Khmers and enjoyed a brief period as an independent kingdom. Works of art produced in Lopburi during the 12th to 13th century are heavily influenced by Khmer idioms and include a number of examples (such as this one), of crowned and jewelled Buddhas seated within tabernacles, or ‘jewelled houses’. After the founding of Ayutthaya in 1350 Lopburi succumbed rapidly to its more powerful neighbour and was incorporated into that kingdom. Large, complete tabernacles of this type rarely appear on the art market - the last that I am aware of was in 1998 - see Spink, The Lion of the Shakyas, cat. no. 6. For an almost identical example in the Linden-Museum, Stuttgart, see cat. no. 118, p. 108 in G. Kreisel, Linden-Museum Stuttgart: Südasien-Abteilung, Linden-Museum Stuttgart, 1987 (also published in Spink, Exhibition: Indian Influence on Art in South-East Asia, London, 1970). The L.A. County Museum of Art has a fine double-sided example – see no. 131 in P. Pal, The Sensuous Immortals: A Selection of Sculptures from the Pan-Asian Collection, L.A. County Museum of Art, 1977. For two smaller, less elaborate examples see nos. 13 and 14 in P. Krairiksh, Khmer Bronzes: A Selection from the Suan Phka Tevoda Collection, Lugano, 1982. PROVENANCE: Private Asian collection. This Buddha has been owned and revered by the same family for more than 70 years. It was stolen in the late 1960s and, by the time the police recovered it a few days later, it had been resold twice!
|  STUCCO HEAD OF BUDDHA Current and Past Exhibitions
Catalogue no. 33.STUCCO HEAD OF BUDDHA.NORTHWEST PAKISTAN OR AFGHANISTAN.GANDHARA.4TH - 5TH CENTURY.H. 24 CMS, 9 ½ INS.A graceful, serene white stucco head of the Buddha, the eyes cast down in meditation and the mouth set with a gentle half-smile; the hair highlighted in black pigment and rising in waves to form a bun-shaped usnisha, with additional traces of red pigment remaining.The use of stucco and terracotta as a substitute for the grey schist of many early Gandhara sculptures led to a greater freedom of expression and innovation. Perhaps the finest of all the many examples of stucco Buddha heads is the one in the Victoria and Albert Museum. Widely published and admired, it is variously ascribed to either Hadda or Taxila - see catalogue no. 120 in Stanislaw Czuma, Kushan Sculpture: Images from early India, Cleveland Museum of Art, 1985.PROVENANCE: Private Japanese Collection. Acquired in the 1980s.
|  STUCCO HEAD OF BUDDHA Current and Past Exhibitions
Catalogue no. 3.STUCCO HEAD OF BUDDHA.NORTHWEST PAKISTAN OR AFGHANISTAN.GANDHARA.4TH - 5TH CENTURY.H. 24 CMS, 9 ½ INS.A serene, elegant white stucco head of the Buddha, the eyes down cast in meditation and the mouth set with a gentle half smile, the hair rising in waves to a bun-shaped usnisha; traces of pigments remaining.The use of stucco and terracotta as a substitute for the grey schist of many early Gandhara sculptures led to a greater freedom of expression and innovation. Perhaps the finest of all the many examples of stucco Buddha heads is the one in the Victoria and Albert Museum. Widely published and admired, it is variously ascribed to either Hadda or Taxila - see catalogue no. 120 in Stanislaw Czuma, Kushan Sculpture: Images from early India, Cleveland Museum of Art, 1985.PROVENANCE: Private Japanese Collection. Acquired in the 1980s.
|  STUCCO HEAD OF A WOMAN AND STUCCO HEAD OF BUDDHA (SOLD) Current and Past Exhibitions
No. 16(LEFT).STUCCO HEAD OF A WOMAN.THAILAND, MON-DVARAVATI PERIOD, 7TH - 8TH CENTURY.H. 18.5 CMS, 7 ¼ INS.No. 16 (RIGHT).STUCCO HEAD OF BUDDHA.THAILAND, SUKHOTHAI PERIOD, 14TH CENTURY.H. 13 CMS, 5 INS.SOLDPROVENANCE (BOTH): Property of a private Japanese collector.
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