Until 1st May, 2026
Buy it now
A BRONZE FIGURE OF THE JAIN HERO BAHUBALI, 19TH CENTURY
Lot 1442 - AK0126
India. The figure standing in kayotsarga on a semicircular pedestal, with leafy vines growing from the base and entwining the arms and legs. His serene visage marked by almond-shaped eyes beneath gently arched brows, an aquiline nose, and full lips, framed by elongated, pendulous earlobes, and neatly arranged hair.
Provenance: R. M. Collection, Sint-Pieters-Leeuw, Belgium, acquired between 1979 and 2009, thence by descent to his wife Marie-Anne Lefevre in 2023.
Condition: Very good condition with minor wear and casting irregularities.
Weight: 1,515 g
Dimensions: Height 21.1 cm
Bahubali was the son of Rishabhanatha (the first tirthankara of Jainism) and the brother of Bharata Chakravartin. He is said to have meditated motionless for a year in a standing posture (kayotsarga) and that during this time, climbing plants grew around his legs. After his a year of meditation, Bahubali is said to have attained omniscience (Kevala Gyana).
In 948 the Ganga general Chavundaraya commissioned a monumental sculpture of Bahubali at Shravanbelagola, Karnataka. The Gommateshwara statue is the tallest monolithic statue in the world today and was carved out of a single block of granite. It is seventeen meters high and can be seen from thirty kilometers away. This image inspired the production of smaller devotional images of Bahubali that became popular in southern India. Such images were for household use and were often bought back by pilgrims from one of the Jain tirthas (pilgrimage sites) or centers of Jainism.
Literature comparison:
Compare a related bronze figure of the Jain hero Bahubali, India, Karnataka, 16th-17th century, 26 cm high, in the Victoria & Albert Museum, accession number IM.14-1922.
Please note that additional images and detailed information are available only upon request for lots with a starting price of 500 Euros or above in our Discovery Auctions.
If there are any existing additional images of this item, you can find them on this tab. You must be logged into your personal Zacke account to see the images. Click on an image to zoom or save.
Log in or sign up to view the natural light images.
Click here to request more information on this lot.
How to Buy Online
You must log in or create an online account in order to buy items from the shop.
Click the red 'Buy it Now' button to buy this item. You will then be able to download your invoice and receive instructions about how to pay. Prices include Buyer's Premium.
If you would like to buy multiple items at the same time, add the items you want to your cart. You will then be able to check out with multiple items simultaneously.
Items in your cart are not reserved. Please complete the purchase process promptly to secure the items.
How to Buy Offline
If you would like to buy one of these items outside of the online shop, please contact us at office@zacke.at or +43 (1) 532 04 52.
Our Terms and Conditions
As part of our ongoing efforts to keep our auctions fair and transparent, we encourage you to read our terms and conditions thoroughly. We urge you to read through §34-50) to ensure you understand them. These terms are specifically designed to protect all serious and committed buyers from bidding against non-payers who attempt to inflate prices without the intent of paying their auction bills.
For further reading about non-payers at auction, go here: https://www.zacke.at/aboutnonpayers/.
The main points include the following:
- Bidders must complete their due diligence and clarify all questions about the objects before the auction. After the auction, Zacke will not answer questions from bidders unless the purchase price has been paid in full. Of course, this does not apply to questions concerning shipping, insurance, customs, etc.
- A sale cancellation of any kind after the fall of the hammer is not possible. The only exception to this fundamental rule is our guarantee of authenticity [the Guarantee].
- A Guarantee Claim, however, can only be raised after the purchase price has been paid in full by the buyer and within 45 days after the auction day.
If you have any questions about our policies, please get in touch with us at office@zacke.at.
By placing a bid, you agree to our Terms of Auction and Terms and Conditions.
