A HIGHLY DISTINCTIVE TURQUOISE-INLAID BRONZE FIGURE OF AVALOKITESHVARA, SWAT VALLEY, CIRCA 6TH–7TH CENTURY

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A HIGHLY DISTINCTIVE TURQUOISE-INLAID BRONZE FIGURE OF AVALOKITESHVARA, SWAT VALLEY, CIRCA 6TH–7TH CENTURY Expert’s note Of significant art-historical importance, this statue ranks among the finest and largest surviving bronze Buddhist sculptures from the Swat Valley. It retains the Gandharan taste for Classical realism while incorporating Gupta idioms from northern India such as the almond-shaped eyes, bare torso, and slender waist. The present figure thus exemplifies Swat Valley sculpture’s role as an important artistic and religious link between the former Gandharan civilization, the Gupta empire of Northern India, and the rising states of Kashmir, Gilgit, and Western Tibet. Scientific Analysis: SEM analysis identifies the metal as a remarkably pure copper-zinc alloy (brass), composed of copper (85.2 ± 2.6%) and zinc (14.8 ± 0.7%), without other detectable alloying elements. Inclusions of zinc sulfide were also identified. The composition is fully consistent with the established use of brass for Buddhist sculpture in the Greater Gandhara and Swat regions during the early medieval period. Finely cast standing in samabhanga on a separately cast stepped pedestal base, dressed in a long dhoti that falls in fine pleats along the legs and is tied with a twisted belt below the navel, with a long billowing scarf draped over the arms, the chest detailed with beaded necklaces above a turquoise-inlaid pendant. The oval face with neatly incised almond-shaped eyes centered by a turquoise urna, the hair secured with a tall crown centered by a diminutive figure of Buddha Amitabha flanked by a pair lion masks, and falling elegantly in curly tresses over the shoulders. (2) Dimensions: Height 41.3 cm (the figure), 51.3 cm (total) The dissolution of the Kushan Empire in the ancient region of Gandhara, coupled with Central Asian incursions, resulted in Gandharan Buddhist communities becoming increasingly migratory by the 6th century. Buddhism still thrived in a few locations such as Swat, where bronze casters formed a new aesthetic that incorporated elements from various cultures who controlled portions of the ancient region of Gandhara (modern-day Afghanistan and Pakistan) at various times. Under these conditions, small devotional images made of bronze gradually replaced large schist and stucco sculptures. Large bronze figures like the present lot however are extremely rare, and only few comparable bronzes of similar height are known. See a silver-inlaid bronze figure of Vajradharma Lokeshvara of similar size (39.4 cm) and slightly later date, no longer displaying the Greco-Roman realism of the present lot, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, object number 42.25.20. Avalokiteshvara, also known as Lokanatha, is one of the earliest and most important Bodhisattvas who postponed his own Enlightenment to assist all sentient beings in their own spiritual quest. He was first introduced in the Lotus Sutra, or Saddharma Pundarika Sutram, which was likely compiled in India during the 1st century BC. Literature comparison: Compare a related bronze figure of Vishnu Vaikuntha, dated early 7th century, Swat, 48.5 cm high, in the Museum of Asian Art, Berlin, identification number I 24. Compare a related inscribed brass alloy figure of Buddha, Gandhara, dated circa 6th century, sold at Bonhams Hong Kong, 2 October 2018, lot 1. Compare a related earlier bronze figure of Avalokiteshvara, Gandhara, dated 3rd-4th century, 37 cm tall, in the Musée Guimet, object number MA 12128. Compare a related copper alloy figure of Avalokiteshvara, Kashmir, dated circa 4th-5th century, 26.6 cm tall, in the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, accession number M.69.15.2. Compare a related gilt and silvered copper alloy figure of Maitreya, dated early 8th century, likely Swat Valley or Gilgit region, 38.3 cm high, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, object Number 2003.593.3a, b.

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