11th Mar, 2026 11:00
Three Collectors: Arts of Asia & Africa assembled by G. Merzeder, S. Behrendt & P. Icher
16
A LARGE AND IMPORTANT POLISHED GRAY SCHIST FIGURE OF BUDDHA SHAKYAMUNI, ANCIENT REGION OF GANDHARA, SWAT VALLEY, 2ND-4TH CENTURY
This lot is from a single owner collection and is therefore offered without reserve
€40,000
€80,000
A buyer’s premium of 30.00% (including VAT) applies to the hammer price of this lot if your bid is successful.
Superbly carved, standing in samabhanga on a rectangular plinth carved with two rows of foliate blossoms below a wavy band. He is dressed in voluminous robes draped across both shoulders, carved naturalistically with U-shaped folds that reveal the contours of his powerful body. The face sensitively modeled with a benevolent expression, crisply delineated features such as heavy-lidded almond-shaped eyes, a rosebud mouth, and full cheeks, flanked by elongated earlobes, the hair arranged in wavy locks rising over the domed ushnisha.
Provenance: The collection of Chilphon Lee, Thailand. A private collection in Thailand, acquired from the above in 1969, and thence by direct descent to Supalak Nakdee. Gallery Mouhot, Bangkok, acquired from the above. A copy of a provenance statement with a notarized translation, written and signed by Supalak Nakdee, confirming the provenance and dating above, dated 20 June 2023, accompanies this lot. A copy of a Certificate of Authenticity by Gallery Mouhot, Bangkok, dated 28 June 2023, confirming the provenance and dating above, accompanies the lot. Collection of Sven A. Behrendt, Salzburg, Austria, assembled from the 1960s onwards, with acquisitions made during his extensive travels worldwide. Note that Behrendt’s important non-Asian collection was sold in a single-owner sale titled “A Worldwide Grand Tour: The Sven A. Behrendt Collection" at Sotheby’s London, 2 December 2025. Galerie Mouhot is a gallery specializing in Khmer Art based in River City Bangkok, established by the Frenchman Eric Dieu and 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. Old wear, obvious losses and natural cracks, scratches, small chips, signs of weathering and erosion, and encrustations.
Weight: 260 kg
Dimensions: 148.5 cm (excl. stand), 151 cm (incl. stand)
Mounted on an associated stand. (2)
This masterfully carved figure embodies an idealized and transcendent male form. The heavy sanghati delicately models the muscular shoulders, torso, soft belly and rounded thigh; the left knee bends in preparation to step forward. This subtle gesture, along with the undulating folds of the robe, allows one to imagine the fabric fluttering as the Buddha moves. Heavy eyelids frame the almond-shaped eyes, the forehead remains perfectly unlined, and there is no tension in the rosebud mouth. While activated with energy, movement and life, the Buddha is simultaneously in a state of otherworldly tranquility.
Literature comparison:
Compare a closely related schist figure of Buddha standing on a similar pedestal, Gandhara, dated to the 1st century, 111.2 cm high, in the Tokyo National Museum, accession number TC-733.
Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Christie’s New York, 13 September 2017, lot 603
Price: USD 792,500 or approx. EUR 894,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: An important gray schist figure of a standing Buddha, Gandhara, 2nd-3rd century
Expert remark: Compare the closely related modeling, expression, and undulating folds of the heavy robe. Note the smaller size (81.3 cm) and that the figure lacks a pedestal.
Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Christie’s Paris, 13 June 2018, lot 232
Price: EUR 247,500 or approx. EUR 291,000 adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A rare and important gray schist torso of Buddha Shakyamuni, Ancient region of Gandhara, 2nd-3rd century
Expert remark: Compare the closely related modeling of the torso with similar carved taut chest, gently undulating belly, and wearing a heavy robe modeled with its characteristic U-shaped folds. Note the size (129 cm).
Superbly carved, standing in samabhanga on a rectangular plinth carved with two rows of foliate blossoms below a wavy band. He is dressed in voluminous robes draped across both shoulders, carved naturalistically with U-shaped folds that reveal the contours of his powerful body. The face sensitively modeled with a benevolent expression, crisply delineated features such as heavy-lidded almond-shaped eyes, a rosebud mouth, and full cheeks, flanked by elongated earlobes, the hair arranged in wavy locks rising over the domed ushnisha.
Provenance: The collection of Chilphon Lee, Thailand. A private collection in Thailand, acquired from the above in 1969, and thence by direct descent to Supalak Nakdee. Gallery Mouhot, Bangkok, acquired from the above. A copy of a provenance statement with a notarized translation, written and signed by Supalak Nakdee, confirming the provenance and dating above, dated 20 June 2023, accompanies this lot. A copy of a Certificate of Authenticity by Gallery Mouhot, Bangkok, dated 28 June 2023, confirming the provenance and dating above, accompanies the lot. Collection of Sven A. Behrendt, Salzburg, Austria, assembled from the 1960s onwards, with acquisitions made during his extensive travels worldwide. Note that Behrendt’s important non-Asian collection was sold in a single-owner sale titled “A Worldwide Grand Tour: The Sven A. Behrendt Collection" at Sotheby’s London, 2 December 2025. Galerie Mouhot is a gallery specializing in Khmer Art based in River City Bangkok, established by the Frenchman Eric Dieu and 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. Old wear, obvious losses and natural cracks, scratches, small chips, signs of weathering and erosion, and encrustations.
Weight: 260 kg
Dimensions: 148.5 cm (excl. stand), 151 cm (incl. stand)
Mounted on an associated stand. (2)
This masterfully carved figure embodies an idealized and transcendent male form. The heavy sanghati delicately models the muscular shoulders, torso, soft belly and rounded thigh; the left knee bends in preparation to step forward. This subtle gesture, along with the undulating folds of the robe, allows one to imagine the fabric fluttering as the Buddha moves. Heavy eyelids frame the almond-shaped eyes, the forehead remains perfectly unlined, and there is no tension in the rosebud mouth. While activated with energy, movement and life, the Buddha is simultaneously in a state of otherworldly tranquility.
Literature comparison:
Compare a closely related schist figure of Buddha standing on a similar pedestal, Gandhara, dated to the 1st century, 111.2 cm high, in the Tokyo National Museum, accession number TC-733.
Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Christie’s New York, 13 September 2017, lot 603
Price: USD 792,500 or approx. EUR 894,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: An important gray schist figure of a standing Buddha, Gandhara, 2nd-3rd century
Expert remark: Compare the closely related modeling, expression, and undulating folds of the heavy robe. Note the smaller size (81.3 cm) and that the figure lacks a pedestal.
Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Christie’s Paris, 13 June 2018, lot 232
Price: EUR 247,500 or approx. EUR 291,000 adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A rare and important gray schist torso of Buddha Shakyamuni, Ancient region of Gandhara, 2nd-3rd century
Expert remark: Compare the closely related modeling of the torso with similar carved taut chest, gently undulating belly, and wearing a heavy robe modeled with its characteristic U-shaped folds. Note the size (129 cm).
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Auction: Three Collectors: Arts of Asia & Africa assembled by G. Merzeder, S. Behrendt & P. Icher, 11th Mar, 2026
This auction presents selections from three outstanding collections assembled by three unique collectors — each highly distinguished in their own way, while unified in their love of art and travel as well as their heartfelt curiosity, awe, and respect for the remote and diverse cultures they encountered. This foreword serves as a place to briefly tell each of their stories, which are deeply imbued into the objects they acquired. Learn more.
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