17th Oct, 2024 11:00
TWO-DAY AUCTION: Fine Asian Art, Buddhism and Hinduism
10
A BRONZE FIGURE OF LOKANATHA AVALOKITESHVARA, PALA PERIOD
€2,000
€4,000
A buyer’s premium of 30.00% (including VAT) applies to the hammer price of this lot if your bid is successful.
Northeastern India, 11th century. The Savior of the Universe gracefully seated in lalitasana on a double lotus base with the right foot pendant and supported on a lotus pad. The deity’s left hand holding a lotus stem coming to full bloom at the shoulder, a similar second blossom issuing from the base, his right hand lowered in varada mudra. Superbly cast with a slender waist lending a gentle sway to the overall figure. Adorned with jewelry and wearing a sheer dhoti, his hair fashioned in a tall chignon centered by a diminutive image of the Buddha Amitabha, all flanked by foliate motifs.
Provenance: From a private collection in Chicago, United States. An old collector’s label to the underside, ‘617’.
Condition: Good condition with old wear, predominantly from centuries of worship within the culture. Some casting flaws including fine fissures around the waist. Rubbing, small dents, tiny nicks, few minor losses. Some warping to the base. Remnants of ritual pigment. The bronze with a rich, smooth, naturally grown, coppery patina.
Weight: 500 g
Dimensions: Height 13.2 cm
Expert’s note:
Despite extensive wear and rubbing to this bronze, revealing a rich coppery patina from centuries of adulation, the figure can be identified as Lokanatha Avalokiteshvara, known in English as “Savior of the World”. This form was particularly popular during the early Pala period in Northeastern India. He is one of three principal deities of Mahayana Buddhism, along with Shakyamuni, who represents the present, and Maitreya, the future Buddha. Lokanatha displays some distinctly Shaivite features, namely a high chignon and a sensuous, supple body. By the eleventh century, however, one can clearly see the fusion of Brahmanical and Buddhist iconography that appears in this region, particularly the shakta influence of jata in Buddhist images. Here, an effigy of Amitabha sitting at the base of the jata identifies him as unequivocally Buddhist.
The Pala dynasty flourished in eastern India from the eighth to the twelfth century, producing artworks of a distinct style, heavily influenced by the Gupta period aesthetic. The Pala style traveled from India to Nepal, China and Tibet, and served as an important foundation for sculptural and painting traditions in subsequent centuries. A surge in travel in the region among Buddhist practitioners and laypeople to sacred sites associated with Buddha Shakyamuni, expanded the propagation of Buddhist texts and religious icons, particularly bronze sculpture, which were easily transported by pilgrims. As a result, Pala bronze work achieved an exceptional level of sophistication and to this day, is revered as one of the golden eras of the Indian sculptural tradition.
In the Astasahasrika Prajnaparamita Sutra, Avalokiteshvara is widely evoked as Lokanatha, or ‘Lord of the universe, he who protects the world’. Western scholars have traditionally considered the earliest sutra in the Prajnaparamita class to be the Astasahasrika Prajnaparamita Sutra or ‘Perfection of Wisdom in 8,000 Lines’, which was probably first put in writing in the 1st century BC, with Pala period manuscripts surviving in several museum collections including one in the Cambridge University Library, accession number MS Add.1464.
Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Christie’s New York, 21 March 2018, lot 3001
Price: USD 30,000 or approx. EUR 35,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A gilt bronze figure of Lokanatha Avalokiteshvara, Northeast India, Pala period, 11th century
Expert remark: Note the strong wear, with features similarly rubbed away from centuries of worship as exhibited by the present lot. Compare also the closely related subject, modeling, and manner of casting, and the size (9 cm). Note the remnants of gilt.
Northeastern India, 11th century. The Savior of the Universe gracefully seated in lalitasana on a double lotus base with the right foot pendant and supported on a lotus pad. The deity’s left hand holding a lotus stem coming to full bloom at the shoulder, a similar second blossom issuing from the base, his right hand lowered in varada mudra. Superbly cast with a slender waist lending a gentle sway to the overall figure. Adorned with jewelry and wearing a sheer dhoti, his hair fashioned in a tall chignon centered by a diminutive image of the Buddha Amitabha, all flanked by foliate motifs.
Provenance: From a private collection in Chicago, United States. An old collector’s label to the underside, ‘617’.
Condition: Good condition with old wear, predominantly from centuries of worship within the culture. Some casting flaws including fine fissures around the waist. Rubbing, small dents, tiny nicks, few minor losses. Some warping to the base. Remnants of ritual pigment. The bronze with a rich, smooth, naturally grown, coppery patina.
Weight: 500 g
Dimensions: Height 13.2 cm
Expert’s note:
Despite extensive wear and rubbing to this bronze, revealing a rich coppery patina from centuries of adulation, the figure can be identified as Lokanatha Avalokiteshvara, known in English as “Savior of the World”. This form was particularly popular during the early Pala period in Northeastern India. He is one of three principal deities of Mahayana Buddhism, along with Shakyamuni, who represents the present, and Maitreya, the future Buddha. Lokanatha displays some distinctly Shaivite features, namely a high chignon and a sensuous, supple body. By the eleventh century, however, one can clearly see the fusion of Brahmanical and Buddhist iconography that appears in this region, particularly the shakta influence of jata in Buddhist images. Here, an effigy of Amitabha sitting at the base of the jata identifies him as unequivocally Buddhist.
The Pala dynasty flourished in eastern India from the eighth to the twelfth century, producing artworks of a distinct style, heavily influenced by the Gupta period aesthetic. The Pala style traveled from India to Nepal, China and Tibet, and served as an important foundation for sculptural and painting traditions in subsequent centuries. A surge in travel in the region among Buddhist practitioners and laypeople to sacred sites associated with Buddha Shakyamuni, expanded the propagation of Buddhist texts and religious icons, particularly bronze sculpture, which were easily transported by pilgrims. As a result, Pala bronze work achieved an exceptional level of sophistication and to this day, is revered as one of the golden eras of the Indian sculptural tradition.
In the Astasahasrika Prajnaparamita Sutra, Avalokiteshvara is widely evoked as Lokanatha, or ‘Lord of the universe, he who protects the world’. Western scholars have traditionally considered the earliest sutra in the Prajnaparamita class to be the Astasahasrika Prajnaparamita Sutra or ‘Perfection of Wisdom in 8,000 Lines’, which was probably first put in writing in the 1st century BC, with Pala period manuscripts surviving in several museum collections including one in the Cambridge University Library, accession number MS Add.1464.
Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Christie’s New York, 21 March 2018, lot 3001
Price: USD 30,000 or approx. EUR 35,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A gilt bronze figure of Lokanatha Avalokiteshvara, Northeast India, Pala period, 11th century
Expert remark: Note the strong wear, with features similarly rubbed away from centuries of worship as exhibited by the present lot. Compare also the closely related subject, modeling, and manner of casting, and the size (9 cm). Note the remnants of gilt.
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Auction: TWO-DAY AUCTION: Fine Asian Art, Buddhism and Hinduism, 17th Oct, 2024
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Galerie Zacke is thrilled to present a two-day live auction event showcasing 700 works of art from China, Southeast Asia, India, and beyond.
The flagship auction will take place on Day 1 of the sale (lots 1-278) and features an inspired selection of impressive pieces from notable collections. Highlights include an important white marble torso of Buddha Maitreya from the Tang dynasty (lot 38), a magnificent pair of Imperial zitan ‘elephant’ stands likely originating from the Forbidden City or Summer Palace (lot 89), and an extremely rare gold rain drum from the ancient kingdoms of Cham (lot 238).
The general auction will follow on Day 2 (lots 279-700), offering opportunities for both seasoned collectors and new bidders.
Museum Deaccessions include the Wou Lien-Pai Museum and the Zelnik István Southeast Asian Gold Museum.
Notable Collector’s Provenances include Sir Elton John; Kartika Soekarno-Seegers, the daughter of Sokarno; His Exalted Highness, the Nizam of Hyderabad, Osman Ali Khan (1886-1967); and Xu Yingkui (1830-1903), Viceroy of Min-Zhe, Guangzhou, China; as well as many prestigious names such as Alan and Simone Hartman, Onno Janssens, Dr. Johan Carl Kempe, Nellie and Basil Ionides, David Taylor, and Captain William Alexander ‘Bill’ Palmer CBE DL.
Historic Gallery and Dealership Provenances include Jules Speelman, Sam Bernstein, Jacques Barrère, Michael Goedhuis, Leonardo Vigorelli, Sydney L. Moss Ltd, Ralph M. Chait Galleries, Robert Kleiner, Roger Keverne Ltd, and Spink & Son.
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