A LARGE SILVER-INLAID BRONZE FIGURE OF BUDDHA SHAKYAMUNI, PAGAN KINGDOM, BURMA, 12TH CENTURY

拍品描述

A LARGE SILVER-INLAID BRONZE FIGURE OF BUDDHA SHAKYAMUNI, PAGAN KINGDOM, BURMA, 12TH CENTURY Expert’s note: The present lot is remarkably rare for its exquisite workmanship, fine silver inlay, and substantial size, with few comparable examples of this scale known to survive. Its costly materials and commanding presence identify it as a major commission, created for an important temple of the Pagan Kingdom. Pagan sculpture was profoundly influenced by the Pala style, particularly the bronzes of Kurkihar, reflecting the monastic and pilgrimage networks connecting Burma with eastern India. Compare the long flaring robe and elegant silhouette of the Sonnery Kurkihar Buddha, sold at Bonhams Hong Kong, 3 October 2017, lot 16 (fig. 1). The undulating folds, oval face, and sharply defined nose also recall the monumental standing Buddhas at Shwezigon Pagoda, cast during the reign of King Kyansittha (1084–1112/13). Pala conventions were likewise absorbed by the Buddhist workshops of Chola-period South India, producing strikingly similar images. Compare a gilt-bronze Buddha of the 11th–12th century in the Victoria and Albert Museum, accession number IPN.2639 (fig. 2), described by the museum as being “in the style closely associated with the port city of Nagapattinam, coastal Tamil Nadu.” Together, these parallels place the present figure within the extensive artistic and religious networks that united the great Buddhist centers surrounding the Bay of Bengal. Magnificently cast, depicted standing on a double-lotus pedestal, with the right hand raised in vitarka mudra and the left lowered, holding the tip of the diaphanous sanghati that falls in gently undulating folds above the feet. The sensitively modeled face bears a serene, meditative expression, distinguished by downcast eyes beneath gently arched brows, centered by a raised, silver-inlaid urna, a slender nose, and full lips forming a subtle smile, all flanked by long, pendulous earlobes. The hair is neatly arranged in tight curls covering the domed ushnisha, which is surmounted by a bud-shaped finial. The eyes, fingers, and toenails are all inlaid in silver, with clearly visible wear to the silver in places, providing further evidence of the object’s considerable age. Dimensions: Height 85.5 cm The Kingdom of Pagan was the first Burmese kingdom to unify the regions that would later constitute modern-day Myanmar. Pagan's 250-year rule over the Irrawaddy valley and its periphery laid the foundation for the ascent of Burmese language and culture, the spread of Bamar ethnicity in Upper Myanmar, and the growth of Theravada Buddhism in Myanmar and in mainland Southeast Asia. The Burmese language and culture gradually became dominant in the upper Irrawaddy valley, eclipsing the Pyu, Mon, and Pali norms by the late 12th century. Theravada Buddhism slowly began to spread to the village level although Tantric, Mahayana, Brahmanic, and animist practices remained heavily entrenched in all social strata. Pagan's rulers built over 10,000 Buddhist temples in the Bagan Archaeological Zone of which over 2,000 remain today. The wealthy donated tax-free land to religious authorities. The kingdom went into decline in the mid-13th century as the continuous growth of tax-free religious wealth by the 1280s had severely affected the crown's ability to retain the loyalty of courtiers and military servicemen. This ushered in a vicious circle of internal disorders and external challenges by the Arakanese, Mons, Mongols, and Shans. Repeated Mongol invasions between 1277 and 1301 toppled the four-century-old kingdom. Literature comparison: Compare a closely related Pagan bronze figure of Buddha, dated 12th century, 47.4 cm high, in the Art Institute of Chicago, reference number 2016.106. Compare a closely related Pagan bronze figure of Buddha, dated 12th-13th century, 50.5 cm high, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, object number 1993.235.1. Auction result comparison: Type: Closely related Auction: Christie’s New York, 17 September 1998, lot 170 Price: USD 134,500 or approx. EUR 227,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing Expert remark: Compare the closely related subject, modeling, and manner of casting, with similar pose, flaring sanghati with undulating folds, oval face, and high ushnisha with bud-shaped finial. Note the silver-inlaid eyes and the size (50.5 cm).

图片