 STANDING BRONZE CROWNED BUDDHA Current and Past Exhibitions
Catalogue no. 35.STANDING BRONZE CROWNED BUDDHA.THAILAND.AYUTTHAYA PERIOD.SECOND HALF OF THE 17TH CENTURY.H. 153 CMS, 60 INS.An unusual, life-size bronze figure of a crowned Buddha standing on an elaborate lotus pedestal with both hands raised in abhayamudra (the gesture of dispelling fear), his face gentle and serene, the mouth with a slight smile beneath an aquiline nose and deeply arched brows; the earlobes long and flaring, his robe covering both shoulders and secured at the waist by a broad belt and a central pleat falling between his legs.The kingdom of Ayutthaya, established by King U Thong in 1350 in the Chao Phraya River basin to the north of Bangkok was, until the Burmese attacked and burned its capital in 1767, one of the richest and most enduring sovereignties of Southeast Asia, attracting innumerable merchants and other visitors, not only from neighbouring Asian countries but also from Europe as well. For a bronze head of similar date in the Walters Art Gallery please see fig. 234 (cat. no. 97) in Hiram W. Woodward, The Sacred Sculpture of Thailand: The Alexander B. Griswold Collection, Baltimore: Walters Art Gallery, 1997. PROVENANCE: Private American Collection.
|  STANDING AVALOKITESVARA Current and Past Exhibitions
Catalogue no. 20.STANDING AVALOKITESVARA.KHMER.ANGKOR PERIOD.BAYON STYLE.LATE 12TH – EARLY 13TH CENTURY.H. (INCLUDING TANG): 170 CMS, 67 INS.A monumental sandstone figure of a four-armed Avalokitesvara, the Lord of Infinite Compassion; muscular and powerful, the face beatific beneath a raised chignon bearing a seated figure of Buddha Amitabha, wearing a short pleated sampot secured by a belt embellished with lotus motifs and jewelled pendants, with broad fishtail pleats at the front and back, the upper left hand holding a sacred water vessel.These images are believed to represent the deified form of the Khmer ruler Jayavarman VII (r. 1181-1218?). During King Jayavarman VII’s reign Mahayana Buddhism became the state religion, the Khmer empire reached its greatest extent- as far as the Thai border areas, the Champa kingdom of modern-day Vietnam and parts of Laos as well- and many of its greatest monuments were erected. The temples of Banteay Kdei, Ta Prohm, Preah Khan, Banteay Chmar and the great enclosure of Angkor Thom were all built during his reign.There is a fine example of a four-armed Avalokitesvara from Preah Khan (Angkor), of some 2.15 metres (7 feet) in height in the National Museum, Phnom Penh- the head is reproduced as fig. 526 in M. Girard-Geslan et al, Art of Southeast Asia, New York: Harry N. Abrams Inc, 1998. The head and torso of a large example were exhibited at a 1994 exhibition in New York - see nos. 19 and 20 in M. Lerner, Ancient Khmer Sculpture, Chinese Porcelain Company exhibition catalogue, New York, 1994. PROVENANCE:Private English collection.Formerly in a Private Collection in Singapore from 1985.
|  SEATED SILVER BUDDHA Current and Past Exhibitions
Catalogue no. 24.SEATED SILVER BUDDHA.THAILAND.EARLY AYUTTHAYA PERIOD.14TH – 15TH CENTURY.H. 4.1 CMS, 1 5/8 INS.A small, delicately cast silver image of the Buddha, seated in virasana with the hands clasped in dhyanamudra (the gesture of meditation).The style of this Buddha, formerly known as ‘U-Thong type C’, possesses strong Sukhothai influence – typically a narrow band separating the hair from the forehead, the hair in tight curls, a rather oval face, a long monastic robe falling from the left shoulder and a plain concave pedestal This image is unusual in that it sits in dhyanamudra - the overwhelming majority of Ayutthaya images sit in bhumisparsimudra. Its diminutive size suggests that it was probably used as an amulet and the shiny appearance of the nose indicates that it has been much handled. A residue of what appears to be lacquer adheres to the right ear and behind the right knee of this figure. The kingdom of Ayutthaya, established by King U Thong in 1350 in the Chao Phraya River basin to the north of Bangkok was, until the Burmese attacked and burned its capital in 1767, one of the richest and most enduring sovereignties of Southeast Asia, attracting innumerable merchants and other visitors, not only from neighbouring Asian countries but also from Europe as well. Some 300 images in this style were discovered in the crypt of the main prang of Wat Ratchaburana, Ayutthaya, founded by King Borommaracha II in 1424. For a related image from Wat Ratchaburana see fig. 13 in Dorothy H. Fickle, Images of the Buddha in Thailand, Singapore: Oxford University Press, 1989. See also fig. 192 (cat. no. 64) in Hiram W. Woodward, The Sacred Sculpture of Thailand: The Alexander B. Griswold Collection, Baltimore: Walters Art Gallery, 1997. PROVENANCE: Private English collection. Purchased from Spink and Son in November 1998 – see Spink, The Lion of the Shakyas, cat. no. 12.
|  Seated Buddha Current and Past Exhibitions
Catalogue no.10.Seated Buddha.Northwest Pakistan or Afghanistan.Gandhara.4th - 5th century.H. 35 cm, 13 ¾ ins. A serene, smiling stucco figure of the Buddha seated with his hands in dhyanamudra; extensive traces of red pigment remaining.At the Jaulian monastery in Taxila, Northwest Pakistan are tiers of niches containing stucco figures of Buddhas, Bodhisattvas and devotees in acts of worship or meditation. This image is reminiscent of the Jaulian style- see pl. 522-525 in Ingholt, H. and Lyons, I, Gandharan Art in Pakistan. New York: Pantheon Books, 1957.
|  SEATED BUDDHA Current and Past Exhibitions
15 SEATED BUDDHA.BURMA.POST- PAGAN PERIOD.MID 15TH – EARLY 17TH CENTURY.H. 89 CMS, 35 INS.A large wood figure of Buddha, seated upon a double lotus pedestal with his right hand lowered in bhumisparsimudra (the gesture of summoning the earth to witness) and his left resting in his lap; the face stately but benign beneath an usnisha tapering to a flame finial; a rectangular opening on the back of the pedestal perhaps made for the concealment of relics. Age determined by University of Arizona Radiocarbon-14 test as 1448 - 1632 AD (95% certainty).This Buddha is very much in the Pagan style but the radiocarbon test reveals that it was made several centuries later. There are a number of examples of later images with a lingering Pagan influence; the figures tend to me more slender and somewhat ‘elongated’. For a later example in bronze in the British Museum, see fig. 10, page 62 in Donald Stadtner (ed.), The Art of Burma: New Studies, Mumbai: Marg Publications, 1999. For a second example in the Pagan Museum see fig. 285 in M. Girard-Geslan et al, Art of Southeast Asia, New York: Harry N. Abrams Inc, 1998.
|  SEATED BUDDHA Current and Past Exhibitions
Catalogue no. 15.SEATED BUDDHA.LAOS, PROBABLY FROM UDOMXAI PROVINCE, NORTH OF LUANG PRABANG.SECOND HALF OF THE 19TH CENTURY.H. (INCLUDING FINIAL). 57 CMS, 22 ½ INS. A highly unusual polychromed wood figure of the Buddha, seated in padmasana on a raised lotus pedestal, his hands resting in dhyanamudra, the face meditative and serene beneath a raised chignon formed of ridges arranged in lines, crowned by a flame usnisha; the facial details carefully delineated in black, red and flesh-coloured pigments, wearing a sanghati with simple pleats and a long, central sash falling to the waist.The careful manner in which this sculpture has been decorated, not unlike Sri Lankan Buddhas of the period, with multiple layers of paint, suggests that it might once have been a treasured image in a family shrine. Another image, offered as catalogue no. 45, was almost certainly created and decorated by the same hand. For a related example from Vientiane - albeit lacking its elaborate decoration - please see pages 243 (top left) in S. Lopetcharat, Lao Buddha: The Image and Its History, Bangkok: Siam International Book Company, 2000.
|  SEATED BUDDHA Current and Past Exhibitions
Catalogue no. 45.SEATED BUDDHA.LAOS, PROBABLY FROM UDOMXAI PROVINCE, NORTH OF LUANG PRABANG.SECOND HALF OF THE 19TH CENTURY.H. (INCLUDING FINIAL). 47 CMS, 18 ½ INS .A highly unusual polychromed wood figure of the Buddha, seated in dhyanamudra on a raised lotus pedestal, the face meditative and serene beneath a raised chignon rising to an eight-sided lotiform usnisha; the facial details carefully delineated in black, red and flesh-coloured pigments, wearing a sanghati with simple pleats and a long, central sash falling to the waist.The careful manner in which this sculpture has been decorated, not unlike Sri Lankan Buddhas of the period, with multiple layers of paint, suggests that it might once have been a treasured image in a family shrine. Another image, offered as catalogue no. 15, was almost certainly created and decorated by the same hand. For a related example from Vientiane - albeit lacking its elaborate decoration - please see pages 243 (top left) in S. Lopetcharat, Lao Buddha: The Image and Its History, Bangkok: Siam International Book Company, 2000.
|  Seated Avalokitesvara
Seated Avalokitesvara.Vietnam, Cham period.Dong Duong style.9th- 10th century. H. 66 cm, 26 ins; W. 50 cm, 19 ¾ ins; D: 26 cm, 10 ¼ ins. A dynamic, delicately carved sandstone figure of a four-armed Avalokitesvara; seated in a relaxed posture atop a tiered base and holding his various attributes, comprising the lotus flower, a bowl of nectar, a sword and scriptures.This unusual figure embodies the aesthetic characteristics of the Dong Duong period; namely soft contours, exaggerated features and a calm facial expression. Avalokitesvara’s calm expression is in fact an allusion to the Mahayana Buddhist teachings that became popular during the Dong Duong period. The production of Avalokitesvara images was prolific during this time period because of his importance within the Mahayana pantheon.For two related sculptures, please see plates 50 and 54, La Statuaire Du Champa: Recherches Sur Les Cultes et l’Iconographie, Paris: École Française d’Extrême-Orient, 1963. The same figures are illustrated as plates 42 and 43 in Cham Art: Treasures from the Da Nang Museum, Bangkok: River Books, 2001.PROVENANCE:English private collection.
|  SCHIST FIGURE OF THE BODHISATTVA PADMAPANI Current and Past Exhibitions
Catalogue no. 38.SCHIST FIGURE OF THE BODHISATTVA PADMAPANI.NORTHWEST PAKISTAN.GANDHARA.CIRCA 5TH CENTURY. H. 7.5 CMS, 3 INS.A finely detailed, polished brown schist figure of the Bodhisattva Padmapani, his left hand holding a long lotus-stem, wearing a bow-shaped diadem, a pleated ankle-length sanghati and elaborate jewellery.Whilst Gandharan Bodhisattva images are well known, the specifically identified Avalokitesvara did not emerge until around the 5th century, recognised by the lotus he holds and by the image of Amitabha Buddha in his headdress. Here, a princely diadem is worn, continuing the existing Gandharan tradition, indicating that this small image dates from the early development of Avalokitesvara’s iconography. Coming from a region associated with trade and travel, this piece would probably have been part of a portable shrine.For a larger figure of Padmapani from the Swat Valley with similar iconography, please see no. 7 in M. Ashraf Khan, Gandhara Sculptures in the Swat Museum. Saidu Sharif, 1993.
|  SCHIST BUDDHA RELIEF Current and Past Exhibitions
CATALOGUE no. 6.SCHIST BUDDHA RELIEF.NORTHWEST PAKISTAN OR AFGHANISTAN.GANDHARA.HADDA STYLE.4TH - 5TH CENTURY.H. 41 CMS, 16 INS. A grey schist relief with a bust of the Buddha standing beneath a Bodhi tree with his right hand raised in abhayamudra (the gesture of dispelling fear); a jewelled and moustached attendant with an elaborate turban (probably Indra), standing to the right with his hands raised in supplication.This relief probably depicts the episode from the Buddha’s life known as the ‘Entreaty to Preach the Doctrine’. After the visit of the two merchants Trapusa and Bhallika (see catalogue no. 4), the Buddha, thinking the Doctrine too profound, hesitates to disseminate it. Brahma, Indra , the four maharajas or lokapalas (‘guardians or lords of the cardinal points’) and other gods of various heavens visit him as he sits beneath the Bodhi tree and implore him to propagate the Doctrine. For four related friezes please see plates 193 to 196 in W. Zwalf, A Catalogue of the Gandhara Sculpture in the British Museum. London: British Museum Press, 1996.
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