A GILT-BRONZE FIGURE OF BUDDHA, RATTANAKOSIN PERIOD
A GILT-BRONZE FIGURE OF BUDDHA, RATTANAKOSIN PERIOD
This lot is from a single owner collection and is therefore offered without reserve
The Jorgen Ruben Gallery Ledger, entry from 2005:
“No. 138, FH 1992, Thai late Ayutthaya 18th c. bronze Buddha”
Gallery price: EUR 1,400 or approx.
EUR 2,300 adjusted for inflation at the time of writing.
Thailand, reign of King Rama III, 1824-1851. Standing in samabhanga atop a separately cast, octagonal, multi-tiered pedestal, with the right hand in vitarka mudra and his left gracefully extended alongside his body, wearing long, loose-fitting monastic robes. They wear diaphanous monastic robes secured at the waist by a belt finely cast with diapered floral designs conveying a lavishly embroidered cloth. The serene face with heavy-lidded, downcast eyes, thin lips that form a calm smile, as well as elegantly arched brows. Their hair is arranged in pointed curls around a high ushnisha, which is surmounted by a ketumala. The back fitted with a loop.
Provenance: Freddy Hansen, Copenhagen, Denmark, by 1992. Jorgen Ruben, acquired from the above. In the Jorgen Ruben Collection for 34 years.
Freddy Hansen was a Danish dealer of Asian art and antiquities, particularly Buddhist sculpture. Based in Copenhagen, he was active from the 1950s onward and became one of Denmark's most prominent dealers in Asian art before his retirement in the early 1990s.
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: Very good condition with expected wear, casting irregularities, light warping, few small dents, a minuscule chip to the ketumala, and minor losses to gilt. The bronze with a rich, naturally grown dark patina.
Weight: 8.1 kg
Dimensions: Height 64 cm
Expert's note:
The patterned robe reflects the taste of the 19th-century Thai court for imported Indian fabrics. The flowerheads seen here can be compared to an Indian trade cloth of gold brocade probably made in Varanasi for the Thai market, in the Victoria & Albert Museum, accession number IS.35-1987, published by John Guy, Woven Cargoes. Indian Textiles in the East, London, 1998 p. 147, pl. 200 (detail).
During the reign of King Nangklao (Rama III; r. 1824-1851), Buddhism and kingship became closely connected. During this period the visual language that developed appeared to highlight the king's role as Dhammaraja—the upholder of Buddhist moral order. In sculpture and mural painting, the Buddha was often shown in ways that echoed royal imagery, thereby seeming to link the Buddha's spiritual authority with the ideal of a righteous and powerful ruler. For reference see Melody Rod-Ari, 'The Buddha as Sacred Siamese King: A Seated Buddha in the Walters Art Museum', The Journal of the Walters Art Museum, Vol. 73 (2018), pp. 25-34.
Literature comparison:
Compare a related Thai gilt bronze Buddha with similar base, dated to the 19th century, 66 cm high, in the National Gallery of Victoria, accession number 579-D5. Compare a closely related gilt-bronze figure of Buddha, dated 19th century, 64.5 cm high, sold at Michael Backman Ltd., inventory number 4679.
Auction result comparison:
Type: Related
Auction: Lempertz, Cologne, 11 December 2021, lot 28
Price: EUR 10,000 or approx.
EUR 12,000 adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: Buddha with alms bowl. Bronze, gilded over black lacquer. Thailand. Rattanakosin, 19th century
Expert remark: Compare the related modeling, manner of casting, decoration, and gilding. Note the larger size (92.5 cm).
Buyer's Premium
30%
Sale price
Estimate
Time, Location
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A GILT-BRONZE FIGURE OF BUDDHA, RATTANAKOSIN PERIOD
This lot is from a single owner collection and is therefore offered without reserve
The Jorgen Ruben Gallery Ledger, entry from 2005:
“No. 138, FH 1992, Thai late Ayutthaya 18th c. bronze Buddha”
Gallery price: EUR 1,400 or approx.
EUR 2,300 adjusted for inflation at the time of writing.
Thailand, reign of King Rama III, 1824-1851. Standing in samabhanga atop a separately cast, octagonal, multi-tiered pedestal, with the right hand in vitarka mudra and his left gracefully extended alongside his body, wearing long, loose-fitting monastic robes. They wear diaphanous monastic robes secured at the waist by a belt finely cast with diapered floral designs conveying a lavishly embroidered cloth. The serene face with heavy-lidded, downcast eyes, thin lips that form a calm smile, as well as elegantly arched brows. Their hair is arranged in pointed curls around a high ushnisha, which is surmounted by a ketumala. The back fitted with a loop.
Provenance: Freddy Hansen, Copenhagen, Denmark, by 1992. Jorgen Ruben, acquired from the above. In the Jorgen Ruben Collection for 34 years.
Freddy Hansen was a Danish dealer of Asian art and antiquities, particularly Buddhist sculpture. Based in Copenhagen, he was active from the 1950s onward and became one of Denmark's most prominent dealers in Asian art before his retirement in the early 1990s.
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: Very good condition with expected wear, casting irregularities, light warping, few small dents, a minuscule chip to the ketumala, and minor losses to gilt. The bronze with a rich, naturally grown dark patina.
Weight: 8.1 kg
Dimensions: Height 64 cm
Expert's note:
The patterned robe reflects the taste of the 19th-century Thai court for imported Indian fabrics. The flowerheads seen here can be compared to an Indian trade cloth of gold brocade probably made in Varanasi for the Thai market, in the Victoria & Albert Museum, accession number IS.35-1987, published by John Guy, Woven Cargoes. Indian Textiles in the East, London, 1998 p. 147, pl. 200 (detail).
During the reign of King Nangklao (Rama III; r. 1824-1851), Buddhism and kingship became closely connected. During this period the visual language that developed appeared to highlight the king's role as Dhammaraja—the upholder of Buddhist moral order. In sculpture and mural painting, the Buddha was often shown in ways that echoed royal imagery, thereby seeming to link the Buddha's spiritual authority with the ideal of a righteous and powerful ruler. For reference see Melody Rod-Ari, 'The Buddha as Sacred Siamese King: A Seated Buddha in the Walters Art Museum', The Journal of the Walters Art Museum, Vol. 73 (2018), pp. 25-34.
Literature comparison:
Compare a related Thai gilt bronze Buddha with similar base, dated to the 19th century, 66 cm high, in the National Gallery of Victoria, accession number 579-D5. Compare a closely related gilt-bronze figure of Buddha, dated 19th century, 64.5 cm high, sold at Michael Backman Ltd., inventory number 4679.
Auction result comparison:
Type: Related
Auction: Lempertz, Cologne, 11 December 2021, lot 28
Price: EUR 10,000 or approx.
EUR 12,000 adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: Buddha with alms bowl. Bronze, gilded over black lacquer. Thailand. Rattanakosin, 19th century
Expert remark: Compare the related modeling, manner of casting, decoration, and gilding. Note the larger size (92.5 cm).
Buyer's Premium
30%
Sale price
Estimate
Time, Location
Auction House
