AN IMPORTANT AND EARLY COPPER ALLOY FIGURE OF BUDDHA SHAKYAMUNI, TIBET, 13TH CENTURY

拍品描述

AN IMPORTANT AND EARLY COPPER ALLOY FIGURE OF BUDDHA SHAKYAMUNI, TIBET, 13TH CENTURY Expert’s note: This figure is part of a collection of early Tibetan bronzes produced in the 13th century. These sculptures demonstrate a reliance on existing Indian styles as a foundation for shaping and developing their unique Tibetan traditions to support the growth of Tibetan monasteries. Known as the Chidar, or the Second Transmission of Buddhism to Tibet, this period between the 10th and 12th centuries witnessed the great transmission of Indian Buddhism from Northeast India to Tibet. During the Chidar, generations of Tibetan monks gathered and translated Indian devotional texts. They also drew heavily on Indian paintings and sculpture as highly prized antiques, seeking sources from Buddhism's homeland as a purer and therefore more potent form of the religion. Numerous examples are preserved in temple collections in Lhasa. See Ulrich von Schroeder, Buddhist Sculptures in Tibet, vol. II, 2001, pp. 1188-1189, pls. 321C–F. This synthesis of Indian-derived elements and local interpretation reflects the sculptor’s close familiarity with imported models and exemplifies the cultural hybridity that shaped Tibetan artistic production during the 13th century. Superbly cast with a serene and noble expression, this bronze sculpture of the Buddha Shakyamuni depicts him in deep meditation, his eyes cast down, and the right hand lowered in bhumisparsha mudra and the left held above the lap in dhyana mudra. He is clad in loosely draped monastic robes with minutely incised foliate hems featuring bisected floral roundels and an undulating wave pattern. The serene face, with heavy-lidded downcast eyes beneath arched brows and centered by an urna, is gently smiling with softly pursed lips, flanked by angular pendulous earlobes. The hair is arranged in precisely modeled, tightly coiled snail-shell curls over the high ushnisha, surmounted by a bud-shaped jewel. Dimensions: Height 33.3 cm The outstretched hand in the earth-witnessing gesture (bhumisparsha mudra) represents the pivotal moment of Buddha’s enlightenment and his triumph over the demon king Mara at Bodh Gaya, India. The artist appears to have envisioned the historical Buddha's enlightenment as a moment of quiet realization. This figure embodies various iconographic features of a supranatural being (mahalakshana), including the three folds across his neck, elongated earlobes reflecting his past life as a prince, a pronounced urna, and an unusually tall cranial bump (ushnisha) surmounted by a wish-fulfilling gem (cintamani). In terms of its style, this sculpture echoes the Pala style of northeastern India, skillfully adapted in Tibet and executed with exceptional quality. The diaphanous robe, which fans out before the shins, eclipses his left wrist, and drapes over Buddha's left shoulder, indicates a stylistic borrowing from Northeastern Indian bronzes from the Pala period, reflected in five 10th century bronzes preserved in the Calcutta Museum, see Nihar Ranjan Ray et al., Eastern Indian Bronzes, 1986, Lalit Kala Akademi, nos. 217-221. Additionally, the fishtail-shaped hem, draped high above his left shoulder, is characteristic of 13th century bronzes from the Khasa Malla kingdom. This influence is evident in a figure from the Claude de Marteau Collection, sold at Bonhams Paris, 14 June 2022, lot 33, for EUR 302,775 or approx. EUR 334,000 (adjusted for inflation at the time of writing). After all, both styles trace the origins of their figural art to the interconnected Gupta (c. 4th-6th centuries) and Licchavi kingdoms (c. 5th-8th centuries) of North India and Nepal, respectively. The fusion of these elements in early Tibetan bronze work, as found in the present lot, underscores the artists' familiarity with Indian and Nepalese traditions, a compelling testament to the evident cultural hybridity within 13th century Tibetan artistic production. Auction result comparison: Type: Closely related Auction: Bonhams Hong Kong, 1 December 2023, lot 1849 Price: HKD 2,290,000 or approx. EUR 272,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing Expert remark: Compare the closely related modeling and similarly incised hems, facial expression, and posture. Note the slightly smaller size (28.9 cm) and copper inlays.

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