Bronze Ritual Bell with Goddess Marici Statue, Southeast Asian, 16th-17th Century

拍品描述

Measurements:Overall height 43 cm / 16.93 inches, maximum width of top aureole 20 cm / 7.87 inches, total weight 4950 grams, 16th to 17th Century, Category: Buddhist Ritual Bronze, Primary trading markets: California, BangkokCondition & Provenance:The entire bell is cast via lost-wax bronze casting in one integrated piece, paired with its original bronze clapper fully intact without breakage or missing segments. The bronze surface bears thick, naturally formed ancient patina with stratified green and brown rust deeply embedded into the bronze matrix, free of artificial antiquing or chemical rust removal repairs. The dragon scroll and foliate carvings on the top arched aureole stand raised and full in relief. The four-armed Goddess Marici atop her boar mount retains crisp facial features, jewelry and robe folds with no large-scale chipping or heavy abrasion. The bell body is decorated with recessed niches enshrining standing guardian deities, framed by layered lotus petals, scrolling vines and lion mask motifs with unbroken, fluent carving lines. The bell rim maintains a uniform curved profile; interior and exterior casting textures remain original. Only minor natural edge wear from centuries of handling exists, with no penetrating cracks, copper patches or soldered restorations. This liturgical instrument originated from an ancient Buddhist temple in mainland Southeast Asia. It entered antique shops in Siam at the end of the 19th century, was transported to the United States by a European collector in 1956, and was fully acquired in 2007 by a private collector specializing in Southeast Asian Buddhist art based in Los Angeles, California, USA. The bell has been preserved long-term in climate-controlled storage, only lightly dusted with soft brushes, retaining untouched original burial and surface patina with complete traceable overseas collection archives.Object Description:This monumental bronze ritual bell dedicated to Goddess Marici was crafted for temple worship across mainland Southeast Asia during the 16th and 17th centuries, ranking as a top-tier museum-grade collectible among antique Southeast Asian Buddhist ceremonial tools. The bell splits into two distinct structural sections. The lower flared bell chamber is layered with relief lotus borders, lion masks and recessed niches housing standing guardian divinities. The layered relief carving balances solemn liturgical dignity with the fluid, lively sculptural language unique to Southeast Asian Buddhist art. A lotus pedestal rises from the bell neck, supporting an openwork flaming arched aureole framing a four-armed Marici seated atop her sacred boar mount. The goddess wears an ornate crown and pearl necklaces, each hand grasping a symbolic ritual implement, with soft, compassionate facial features following the canonical iconography of Marici worship. The matching original bronze clapper hangs inside the bell cavity, producing a deep, resonant tone when struck for temple morning and evening prayers, blessing ceremonies and protective rites. Large intact Southeast Asian bronze ritual bells with their original clappers, undamaged Marici statuary and unaltered ancient natural patina are extremely scarce on the global antique market. This artifact delivers irreplaceable academic value for research on Southeast Asian Buddhist iconography, lost-wax bronze casting technology of the pre-modern Indo-Chinese kingdoms, and holds elite scarcity as a devotional ritual object, consistently sought after by veteran Southeast Asian art collectors across California and Paris.

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