A GILT-LACQUERED BRONZE FIGURE OF JAMBUPATI BUDDHA, SHAN STATES
This lot is a museum deaccession and is therefore offered without reserve

Burma, 18th century.  Finely cast, seated in dhyanasana on a waisted double-lotus pedestal with beaded rims raised on a stepped base, his right hand lowered in bhumisparsha mudra while the left is held in dhyana mudra above the lap, wearing a tight-fitting robe and adorned with beaded jewelry, his face in a serene expression with heavy-lidded eyes, elegantly arched brows, and full lips forming a subtle smile, the hair pulled up into a high chignon topped by a tall lotus-bud finial behind the foliate crown with large and intricately cast and pierced ribbons of leafy scroll.

Provenance: The Kienzle Family Collection, Stuttgart, Germany. Acquired between 1950 and 1985 by siblings Else (1912-2006), Reinhold (1917-2008), and Dr. Horst Kienzle (1924-2019), during their extensive travels in Asia. Subsequently inherited by Dr. Horst Kienzle and bequeathed to the Museum für Asiatische Kunst, Radevormwald, Germany. Released through museum deaccession in 2024. The Kienzle siblings were avid travelers and passionate collectors of Asian and Islamic art. During their travels, the Kienzle’s sought out and explored temples, monasteries, and markets, always trying to find the best pieces wherever they went, investing large sums of money and forging lasting relationships to ensure they could acquire them. Their fervor and success in this pursuit is not only demonstrated by their collection but further recorded in correspondences between Horst Kienzle and several noted dignitaries, businesses and individuals in Nepal and Ladakh. Their collection had gained renown by the 1970s, but the Kienzle’s stopped acquiring new pieces around 1985. Almost thirty years later, the collection was moved to the Museum für Asiatische Kunst, Radevormwald, opened by Peter Hardt in 2014. Before his death in 2019, Horst Kienzle bequeathed his entire property to Peter Hardt and legally adopted him as his son, who has been using the name Peter Kienzle-Hardt ever since.
Condition: Very good condition with minor wear and casting irregularities. Light surface scratches and few small nicks. The gilding possibly renewed. The bronze with a fine, naturally grown patina with areas of malachite encrustation to the base.

Weight: 3,381 g
Dimensions: Height 44.8 cm

Jambupati Buddha figures such as this are dressed in the robes of a contemporary Burmese monarch. This relates to a legend, found both in Burma and Thailand, in which the unbelieving Indian king Jambupati was overawed by the Buddha. By appearing in magnificent royal robes, the Buddha demonstrated his great power and converted the king.

The founding of Shan States inside the present-day boundaries of Burma began during the Pagan Kingdom in the Shan Hills and accelerated after 1287 when the Kingdom fell to the Mongols. The Tai people, who came south with the Mongols, stayed, and quickly came to dominate much of the northeastern arc of Burma. The newly founded Shan States were multi-ethnic and included minorities such as the Chin, the Kachin, the Wa, the Ta'ang, the Lisu, the Lahu, the Pa O, and the Kayah. Although Burmanized Shans founded the Ava Kingdom that ruled central Burma, other Shan States, Mohnyin in particular, constantly raided Ava territories throughout the years. A Mohnyin-led Confederation of Shan States finally conquered Ava in 1527.

In 1555, King Bayinnaung dislodged Shan king Sithu Kyawhtin from Ava. By 1557 he went on to conquer all of what would become known as the Burmese Shan States under his rule, from the Assamese border in the northwest to those in Kachin and Shan Hills, including the two most powerful Shan States, Mohnyin and Mogaung. The Shan States were reduced to the status of governorships, but the Saophas (rulers) were permitted to retain their royal regalia and their feudal rights over their own subjects. Bayinnaung introduced Burmese customary law and prohibited all human and animal sacrifices. He also required the sons of Saophas to reside in the Burmese king's palace, essentially hostages, in order to ensure the good conduct of their fathers and to receive training in Burmese court life. Burmese kings continued this policy until 1885, when the Kingdom fell to the British. In the mid-18th century, the Burmese Konbaung dynasty's reassertion of the easternmost boundaries of Burmese Shan States led to war with China, following which eight of the Chinese Shan States were briefly occupied by the Kingdom of Burma. The Burmese success in repelling Chinese forces laid the foundation for the present-day boundary between Burma and China.

Literature comparison:
Compare a closely related gilt-lacquered bronze figure, 36 cm high, dated 17^th-18^th century, in the British Museum, registration number 1894,0622.1. Compare a closely related bronze figure, 38 cm high, dated to the 17th century, in the Art Institute of Chicago, reference number 1984.1499.

Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Bonhams San Francisco, 9 December 2008, lot 5215
Price: USD 2,280 or approx. EUR 3,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A Burmese gilt bronze figure of the Buddha, Shan State, 18th Century
Expert remark: Compare the closely related modeling, manner of casting, and gilding. Note the size (39 cm).