† A BRONZE FIGURE OF AVALOKITESHVARA PADMAPANI SEATED ON MOUNT POTALA, SRIVIJAYA EMPIRE, SUMATRA, 8TH-10TH CENTURY

Scientific Analysis Report: A physical-chemical study of the present lot has been performed by Adamantio srl, an Academic Spin-Off of the University of Turin, based on two samples taken on 11 October 2023, using electron microscope images and SEM scanning coupled with EDS^a microprobe analyses, with the result consistent with the dating above. A copy of the detailed technical report, dated 16 November 2023, no. 57/2023, accompanies this lot.

Expert’s note: For a highly detailed commentary written by John Eskenazi, elaborating on the historical context and showing further comparisons, please request a PDF copy of the academic dossier for this lot from our customer support department.

Seated in lalitasana on a double-lotus base set above a stepped plinth rendered as Mount Potala, the pendant right foot rests on a lotus pad. The figure leans lightly against the extended left arm, which clasps the stem of a lotus rising to bloom at the shoulder, while the right hand lowers in varadamudra, gently touching the knee. He wears a diaphanous dhoti, finely incised with rhythmic pleats and secured by a foliate belt; additional foliate ornaments accentuate the bare torso. The composition is framed by an elaborate openwork aureole with a flaming rim, punctuated by beaded and plain bands, interrupted by a register of short, brick-like tiers.

The face bears a composed expression, with heavy-lidded, downcast eyes beneath arched brows centered by an urna, a slender nose, and full lips shaped into a subtle smile. Elongated ears with pendulous lobes suspend large circular earrings. The thick, braided hair is gathered into an elegant chignon, secured behind a low tiara and centered by a diminutive image of Buddha Amitabha.

Provenance: John Eskenazi, London, United Kingdom. An important private collection in London, United Kingdom. John Eskenazi is one of the most internationally respected dealers in Indian, Gandharan, Himalayan and South-east Asian works of art. He is also a specialist in collectors' carpets and textiles. The Eskenazi name has been associated with Oriental art since 1925. John Eskenazi joined his father's business in Milan in 1977 after studying History of Art, and stage design. In the mid-1990s he further developed the company, opening a gallery in Old Bond Street, London where his reputation as a leading expert in Asian Art was consolidated. In 1997 he was instrumental in co-founding Asian Art in London and in 2004, London Sculpture Week. He has also been a prominent exhibitor at The International Asian Art Fair in New York and at TEFAF Maastricht. He is also a founder partner of The Art Newspaper. John Eskenazi continues to expand his internationally recognized expertise and scholarship in Asian art and culture, through extensive travel, study and research.
Condition: Very good condition with expected wear, casting irregularities, traces of weathering and burial, encrustations, minor areas of corrosion, scattered minute nicks, light surface scratches, and small fissures consistent with age and metal fatigue. The backplate shows a sensitively executed repair with minor retouching to the patina on the reverse. There may be further small, old restorations which are not discernible even under strong ultraviolet light. Given the considerable age of the statue, this remarkably pristine state of preservation must be regarded as exceptional.

Weight: 10.9 kg (excl. stand), 16.9 kg (incl. stand)
Dimensions: 41.5 cm (excl. stand), 43.9 cm (incl. stand)

With an associated stand. (2)

Avalokiteshvara Padmapani is seated in lalitasana on a rare and magnificent throne that represents the bodhisattva’s Mount Potala home, presented in a form that resembles Mount Meru. For Hindus, Jains and Buddhists, Mount Meru is the center of the cosmos, where the physical and spiritual worlds meet. The form also resembles a three-dimensional mandala; mandalas are meditation diagrams used by Jains, Hindus and esoteric Buddhists in their quest for greater spiritual knowledge. By navigating one’s mental powers through the mandala, overcoming obstacles and barriers on the way, one may obtain the necessary knowledge to move towards its peak, in this instance the region ruled and protected by Padmapani. Some of the most sacred remarkable architecture in Southeast Asia was conceived as a mandala, for instance the giant edifices of Borobudur, Java, and Angkor Wat, Cambodia, as well as some of the more modest temples. See the Candi Muara Takus, Central Sumatra, c. 11th century (fig. 1); and the Borobudur Temple complex, Central Java, dating from the 8th and 9th centuries (fig. 2).

This concept and its accompanying imagery originated in eastern India. Initially, pilgrims returning home to Southeast Asia after studying in eastern India brought with them the sacred texts and statues required to conduct their own rituals. By the 9th century, however, bronze images were created in Srivijaya, initially perhaps by artists who had traveled there from India in search of work.

The name Avalokiteshvara means “the Lord who Looks Down”, referring to his home at the summit of Mount Potala. Observing the follies of mankind and acting as a guide whenever possible, he sheds perpetual tears at the helplessness he sees.

In the 8th and early 9th centuries, the Buddhist Sailendra dynasty ruled Srivijaya and western parts of Java. Their name means “Lords of the Mountain” and it is possible that through this epithet, they identified themselves with Avalokiteshvara, residing at the summit of Mount Potala. By the beginning of the 8th century, the kingdoms of Srivijaya and Mataram in Central Java controlled the narrow maritime passage linking the South China Sea and the Indian Ocean. Srivijaya is now generally perceived as a city state located near the modern city of Palambang, but it influenced a much wider region, exerting trading and political control of ports in Sumatra, southern Thailand and Malaysia that all played a major role in the merchant shipping trade. Srivijaya enjoyed harmonious diplomatic relations with its Indian trading associates, notably the Pala Empire of Bengal and Bihar and, until the mid-11th century, the rulers of southern India and Sri Lanka. See a related figure of an enthroned Buddha, Bangladesh, Dacca district, dated c. 11^th-12^th century, in the Dacca Museum (fig. 3); and a gold and silver enthroned Buddha, Central Myanmar, Khin Ba stupa, Sri Ksetra, dated to the 6^th century, in the National Museum, Yangon (fig. 4).

The lithe, elegant figure with slender proportions and long limbs is typical of Srivijaya images of the 9th century. Of particular interest in this instance, however, is the elaborate aureole surrounding the Buddha, the design of which mirrors stylistic developments that occurred in eastern India in the first half of the 9th century. This was a time when relations between the monasteries in Srivijaya and Bihar were especially close and so this figure provides evidence of an association that directed the progress and development of Tantric Buddhism more widely at that time. See a closely related bronze figure of Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara, Nalanda, Bihar, dated to the mid mid-9^th century, in the Norton Simon Museum, accession number M.1974.09.1.S (fig. 5); and another closely related bronze figure of Prajnaparamita, Nalanda, Bihar, dated to the 8^th-9^th century, 12.4 cm high, in the Indian Museum, Kolkata, accession number 9430/A24285 (fig. 6).

Auction result comparison:
Type: Related
Auction: Christie’s New York, 20 March 2002, lot 14
Price: USD 226,000 or approx. EUR 345,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: An important bronze figure of the Medicine Buddha, Baishajyaguru, Central Java, 8^th/9^th century
Expert remark: Compare the related modeling and manner of casting with similar aureole. Note the size (31 cm). This Central Javanese figure shows a similar Pala influence as the present lot.