A DRY LACQUER HEAD OF BUDDHA SHAKYAMUNI, AVA STYLE, 17TH -18TH CENTURY

A DRY LACQUER HEAD OF BUDDHA SHAKYAMUNI, AVA STYLE, 17TH -18TH CENTURY
This lot is from a single owner collection and is therefore offered without reserve

Burma / Myanmar. Finely modeled, the well-defined face conveying a serene, meditative expression, with heavy-lidded, downcast eyes beneath gently arched brows, a broad nose, and full lips forming a subtle, tranquil smile, all flanked by elongated, pendulous earlobes. The hair is neatly arranged in a smoothly structured coiffure, surmounted by a pointed ushnisha.

Provenance: Oliver Klitgaard, Denmark, by 1999. Jorgen Ruben, acquired from the above. In the Jorgen Ruben Collection for 27 years.

Oliver Klitgaard is a Danish antiques dealer and collector specializing in Asian art, archaeology, ethnographic material, and antiquities. Based in Copenhagen, he is known for his longstanding friendship with Prince Henrik of Denmark, with whom he shared a passion for jade and Asian art, undertaking numerous collecting trips to China over more than two decades.

Jorgen Ruben is a Danish art dealer and collector who has been active for over four decades and is highly regarded in the fields of Asian art and classical antiquities. Raised in an art-conscious family, Ruben was exposed early to both modern painting and European decorative arts. He began working in the art trade in the mid-1970s, first with Persian rugs and later with antiques, while travels to Iran and a visit to Persepolis sparked his lasting interest in antiquity. After studies in Copenhagen and London, he worked in England with a dealer in early furniture, before travelling widely in Latin America and Asia, deepening his knowledge of regional art and culture. In 1984 Ruben opened a gallery in Copenhagen dealing in Asian antiquities. He was later active in London and, in the early 2000s, operated the Brussels gallery Classic Art. Much of his career, however, has been conducted privately from home, selling by appointment to collectors, galleries, and museums. Ruben has always bought selectively, choosing only works that deeply engaged him, and often keeping them for many years until placing them with a collector he felt truly understood them.

Important Note: For essential information on the

Jorgen Ruben Gallery Ledger and provenance documentation please visit here: www.zacke.at/rubencollection_ledger

Condition: Expected wear, obvious losses, cracks, flaking, old repairs, minor fills, touchups to lacquer.

Weight: 783.4 g (incl. stand)
Dimensions: Height 17.8 cm (excl. stand), 34.7 cm (incl. stand)

With an associated modern stand. (2)

Auction result comparison:
Type: Related
Auction: Christie's Amsterdam, 31 October 2006, lot 541
Price: EUR 5,040 or approx.

EUR 7,700 adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A Burmese, Ava style, brownish lacquered stone head of Buddha Shakyamuni, 17th century
Expert remark: Compare the related subject and modeling, with analogous facial features. Note the different material and larger size (38 cm).

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