† AN EXCEPTIONALLY LARGE BRONZE FIGURE OF BUDDHA ON THE LION THRONE, SWAT VALLEY, 7TH-8TH CENTURY, TL TESTED

Expert’s Note:
This is an absolute rarity. Numerous smaller examples of this exact subject have been sold at Christie’s and Sotheby’s in New York over the past two decades, often for outrageous prices, yet not a single one comes remotely close to the present work in the quality of casting, the state of preservation, and—above all—its exceptional and commanding size. In sheer presence and authority, this statue reflects the grandeur and spiritual force of the early Swat Valley tradition like no other recorded example. And as if that were not decisive enough, the piece is accompanied by a copy of the thermoluminescence test from Oxford Authentication—widely regarded in the field as the only scientific analysis that offers a fully reliable and internationally recognized guarantee of authenticity.

Scientific Analysis Report: A thermoluminescence analysis report issued by Oxford Authentication on 29 January 2026, based on sample number N126a81, sets the firing date of one sample taken between 1200 and 1800 years ago, consistent with the dating above. A copy of the report accompanies this lot.

Seated in dhyanasana on a tiered plinth supported by a pair of lions and raised on a double-lotus base, his hands lowered above the lap in dhyana mudra, wearing a loose-fitting sanghati falling from his shoulders in precisely rendered folds. The serene face with almond-shaped eyes, neatly incised brows, and full lips forming a subtle smile, flanked by long pendulous earlobes, the hair arranged in tight curls over the high domed ushnisha.

Provenance: The private collection of Mme. Barbieux, acquired in the late 1980s in Bordeaux, France, and thence by direct descent to her son Eric Dieu. Eric Dieu is a Frenchman who established Galerie Mouhot, a gallery specializing in Khmer Art based in River City Bangkok, named after Henri Mouhot (1826-1861), the mid-19th century naturalist and explorer credited with reintroducing the world to the grandeur of Angkor and the Khmer civilization.
Condition: Very good condition, commensurate with age. Signs of weathering and erosion from subsequent burial. Casting irregularities, small nicks, minor losses. The eyes with remnants of silver inlay. The back of the shoulder with a small hole from sample-taking, now filled. The bronze covered in a rich, naturally grown patina with distinct malachite encrustations.

Weight: 5.1 kg
Dimensions: Height 32.8 cm

The verdant valley of Swat, located in modern-day Pakistan, fell within the cultural boundaries of Ancient Gandhara's Buddhist civilization. Hundreds of monastic sites were established in Swat before the 2nd century AD. Secluded within the lush foothills of the Hindu Kush mountains, Swat later served as a crucial bastion for Buddhism as political and economic stability diminished in Gandhara proper due to the dissolution of the Kushan Empire and recurring Hun raids. As a result, a small but exciting school of Buddhist sculpture flourished in Swat between the 6th and 10th centuries, incorporating artistic elements from the various empires that controlled portions of the broader region over time.

The intriguing cosmopolitan aesthetic of Swat bronzes is reflected in this magnificent Buddha. While much of the Gandharan taste for Greco-Roman realism is lost, the commanding posture, composition of his lion throne, and pleated vestiture still arguably harken back to some of Gandharan art's key idioms. The V-shaped pleats on his chest are associated with Kashmiri prototypes, as is the use of the bronze with a high silver or tin content. The Swat craftsman responsible for this bronze also drew extensively from the art of the Gupta period (4th-6th century), considered the Golden Age of Indian art, which here informed the face with its rounded shape, small mouth and incised eyebrows. This figure perfectly embodies the various influences combined by Swat artists to such pleasing effect.

Lion thrones appear in early Indian art centuries before the decline of Gandhara — for example in Mauryan and post-Mauryan royal imagery, and in Mathura sculpture. They signal sovereignty, legitimacy, and spiritual authority. The lion itself was a pan-Indian Buddhist symbol long before any political collapse in Gandhara. The Buddha is called Śākyasiṃha — “Lion of the Shakyas.” His teaching is the siṃhanāda — the “lion’s roar.” In Gandhara and the Swat Valley, lions beneath the throne are part of a broader visual language: royal authority + cosmic stability + the Buddha as universal ruler (cakravartin concept adapted spiritually).

Literature comparison:
Compare a closely related Kashmir school bronze figure of Buddha seated on a lion throne, dated to the 9^th century, 23.2 cm high, in the British Museum, registration number 1957,0212.1. Compare a closely related Swat Valley bronze figure of Buddha with Maitreya and Avalokiteshvara, 16.8 cm high, in the Rubin Museum of Art, object number C2006.71.10. Compare a closely related Swat Valley bronze figure of Shakyamuni Buddha, 15.5 cm high, with later-added cold gold and pigments, in the National Palace Museum, Beijing. Compare a related Swat bronze figure of Buddha Shakyamuni, dated 6^th-7^th century, 12.5 cm high, in the Ashmolean Museum Oxford, accession number EA1995.115.

Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Bonhams New York, 16 March 2015, lot 9
Price: USD 365,000 or approx. EUR 426,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A copper alloy figure of Avalokiteshvara, Swat valley, 8^th-9^th century
Expert remark: Compare the closely related modeling and manner of casting with similar base. Note the different subject and size (14.6 cm).

Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Bonhams Paris, 14 June 2022, lot 19
Price: EUR 151,575 or approx. EUR 164,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A copper alloy figure of Maitreya, Swat Valley, circa 7^th century
Expert remark: Compare the closely related modeling and manner of casting with similar base. Note the different subject and size (19.8 cm).

Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Christie’s New York, 21 September 2007, lot 230
Price: USD 115,000 or approx. EUR 152,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A rare bronze figure of Buddha Shakyamuni with backplate, Swat valley, 7^th-8^th century
Expert remark: Compare the closely related modeling, manner of casting, and subject, with similar expression, robe, and base. Note the smaller size (20.3 cm) and backplate.

Auction result comparison:
Type: Related
Auction: Christie’s New York, 19 March 2014, lot 1040
Price: USD 209,000 or approx. EUR 244,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A bronze figure of Buddha, Kashmir, 7^th century
Expert remark: Compare the related modeling and manner of casting. Note the smaller size (14.5 cm).