A LARGE AND IMPRESSIVE SANDSTONE FIGURE OF BUDDHA SHAKYAMUNI, ANGKOR BOREI STYLE, PRE-ANGKOR PERIOD
A LARGE AND IMPRESSIVE SANDSTONE FIGURE OF BUDDHA SHAKYAMUNI, ANGKOR BOREI STYLE, PRE-ANGKOR PERIOD, 8TH CENTURY
This lot is from a single owner collection and is therefore offered without reserve
The Jorgen Ruben Gallery Ledger, entry from 2012:
“No. 726, Pre Khmer, Angkor Borei, 8th c., Buddha Shakyamuni sitting on a double lotus stand, fine dark sandstone, H. 69 cm, LA 1968, Prov.: L. Albrecht, Adrian Maynard ca. 1968.”
Gallery price: EUR 36,600 or approx.
EUR 52,000 adjusted for inflation at the time of writing.
The ledger establishes that this object was located in Europe before the UNESCO 1970 Convention entered into force.
Magnificently carved, seated in ardha padmasana upon a double lotus pedestal with the hands joined in dhyana mudra. The figure clad in a diaphanous monastic robe draped over the left shoulder, closely adhering to the sensuously modeled forms of the torso beneath. The face conveys a serene meditative presence, characterized by heavy-lidded, downcast eyes beneath gently arched brows, a broad nose, and full lips forming a faint smile, all flanked by long, pendulous earlobes, while the hair is meticulously arranged in large, tightly coiled snail-shell curls rising over a subtly domed ushnisha.
Provenance: Adrian Maynard, London, by 1968. Collection of Leo Albrecht, Denmark, acquired from the above. Jorgen Ruben, acquired from the above before 2005. In the Jorgen Ruben Collection for at least 21 years.
Adrian Maynard joined Spink & Sons in 1947, where he was appointed Director from 1962 and eventually Deputy Chairman until his retirement in 1984. He was a man of enormous drive and undoubtedly the most flamboyant character to take charge of the Asian art department, which he took to the height of its success. Maynard believed firmly that "a dealer, whose fortune and good name depends on knowing what to buy, has a much greater responsibility to be right about the objects that come into his hands than, say, an academic, who never handles large sums of money.”
Leo Albrecht was a German-born publisher and literary agent who established himself in Copenhagen after the Second World War. In 1951 he founded his agency, which played an important role in expanding the international market for Scandinavian literature. He began collecting art in the late 1950s, with a particular focus on Asian sculpture. In Copenhagen, he spent much of his time visiting antique dealers, museums, and exhibitions. He developed especially close ties with Ole Haslund, Lau Sunde, and Freddy Hansen, among the most prominent dealers in their fields. He also traveled frequently to London, where he became close friends with Adrian Maynard. Jorgen Ruben first met Albrecht in 1984, and they quickly became close friends. Ruben later described him as a gentleman and “the greatest collector of Asian art in Denmark.” He acquired Albrecht's entire Asian sculpture collection when Albrecht moved back to Germany after selling his publishing company. The two remained close, with Albrecht continuing to visit Denmark each summer and staying at the Ruben family's beach house north of Copenhagen.
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: Good condition with expected wear, traces of weathering and erosion, obvious losses, an old repair at the neck, old smoothed chips, and scattered scratches. The stone with a fine, naturally grown patina.
Weight: 66.9 kg
Dimensions: Height 70.5 cm
Angkor Borei was a significant early center of Buddhism and Buddhist temple construction prior to the emergence of the Khmer Empire. The present figure displays characteristics typical of Angkor Borei sculpture, notably the subtle projection of the ushnisha and the large snail-shell curls of the hair. Sculptures of this period reveal a naturalism and elegance that recall the treatment of the human body in Gupta-period India, where ornamentation is restrained in favor of emphasizing the smooth, volumetric modeling of the form. The thin drapery clings closely to the body, delicately articulating the contours of the torso and gently defining the abdomen.
Literature comparison:
Compare a closely related sandstone seated Buddha, Vietnam, Pre-Angkor period, 7th-8th century, 40.3 cm high, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, object number 1980.526.3. Compare a closely related sandstone figure of Buddha in meditation, Southern Vietnam, 8th-9th century, 46.5 cm high, in the National Museum of Vietnamese History, Ho Chi Minh City, accession number BTLS 5519, included in the exhibition Lost Kingdoms: Hindu-Buddhist Sculpture of Early Southeast Asia, Metropolitan Museum of Art, 14 April-27 July 2014, and illustrated in the catalog, p. 99, cat. no. 47. Compare a closely related sandstone figure of Buddha, Pre-Angkor period, Angkor Borei style, exhibited by the Museum Angewandte Kunst, Frankfurt, Buddha 108 Encounters, 26 February-7 June 2015.
Auction result comparison:
Type: Related
Auction: Christie's New York, 20 March 2021, lot 151
Price: USD 338,500 or approx.
EUR 370,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A sandstone figure of Buddha Shakyamuni, Angkor Borei, 9th century
Expert remark: Compare the closely related subject and modeling. Note the size (82.6 cm).
Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Christie's New York, 13 September 2016, lot 265
Price: USD 37,500 or approx.
EUR 45,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A sandstone figure of a seated Buddha, Pre-Angkor period, Angkor Borei style, 7th century
Expert remark: Compare the closely related modeling and manner of carving with similar treatment of the hair and drapery. Note the smaller size (48.2 cm).
Buyer's Premium
30%
A LARGE AND IMPRESSIVE SANDSTONE FIGURE OF BUDDHA SHAKYAMUNI, ANGKOR BOREI STYLE, PRE-ANGKOR PERIOD, 8TH CENTURY
This lot is from a single owner collection and is therefore offered without reserve
The Jorgen Ruben Gallery Ledger, entry from 2012:
“No. 726, Pre Khmer, Angkor Borei, 8th c., Buddha Shakyamuni sitting on a double lotus stand, fine dark sandstone, H. 69 cm, LA 1968, Prov.: L. Albrecht, Adrian Maynard ca. 1968.”
Gallery price: EUR 36,600 or approx.
EUR 52,000 adjusted for inflation at the time of writing.
The ledger establishes that this object was located in Europe before the UNESCO 1970 Convention entered into force.
Magnificently carved, seated in ardha padmasana upon a double lotus pedestal with the hands joined in dhyana mudra. The figure clad in a diaphanous monastic robe draped over the left shoulder, closely adhering to the sensuously modeled forms of the torso beneath. The face conveys a serene meditative presence, characterized by heavy-lidded, downcast eyes beneath gently arched brows, a broad nose, and full lips forming a faint smile, all flanked by long, pendulous earlobes, while the hair is meticulously arranged in large, tightly coiled snail-shell curls rising over a subtly domed ushnisha.
Provenance: Adrian Maynard, London, by 1968. Collection of Leo Albrecht, Denmark, acquired from the above. Jorgen Ruben, acquired from the above before 2005. In the Jorgen Ruben Collection for at least 21 years.
Adrian Maynard joined Spink & Sons in 1947, where he was appointed Director from 1962 and eventually Deputy Chairman until his retirement in 1984. He was a man of enormous drive and undoubtedly the most flamboyant character to take charge of the Asian art department, which he took to the height of its success. Maynard believed firmly that "a dealer, whose fortune and good name depends on knowing what to buy, has a much greater responsibility to be right about the objects that come into his hands than, say, an academic, who never handles large sums of money.”
Leo Albrecht was a German-born publisher and literary agent who established himself in Copenhagen after the Second World War. In 1951 he founded his agency, which played an important role in expanding the international market for Scandinavian literature. He began collecting art in the late 1950s, with a particular focus on Asian sculpture. In Copenhagen, he spent much of his time visiting antique dealers, museums, and exhibitions. He developed especially close ties with Ole Haslund, Lau Sunde, and Freddy Hansen, among the most prominent dealers in their fields. He also traveled frequently to London, where he became close friends with Adrian Maynard. Jorgen Ruben first met Albrecht in 1984, and they quickly became close friends. Ruben later described him as a gentleman and “the greatest collector of Asian art in Denmark.” He acquired Albrecht's entire Asian sculpture collection when Albrecht moved back to Germany after selling his publishing company. The two remained close, with Albrecht continuing to visit Denmark each summer and staying at the Ruben family's beach house north of Copenhagen.
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: Good condition with expected wear, traces of weathering and erosion, obvious losses, an old repair at the neck, old smoothed chips, and scattered scratches. The stone with a fine, naturally grown patina.
Weight: 66.9 kg
Dimensions: Height 70.5 cm
Angkor Borei was a significant early center of Buddhism and Buddhist temple construction prior to the emergence of the Khmer Empire. The present figure displays characteristics typical of Angkor Borei sculpture, notably the subtle projection of the ushnisha and the large snail-shell curls of the hair. Sculptures of this period reveal a naturalism and elegance that recall the treatment of the human body in Gupta-period India, where ornamentation is restrained in favor of emphasizing the smooth, volumetric modeling of the form. The thin drapery clings closely to the body, delicately articulating the contours of the torso and gently defining the abdomen.
Literature comparison:
Compare a closely related sandstone seated Buddha, Vietnam, Pre-Angkor period, 7th-8th century, 40.3 cm high, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, object number 1980.526.3. Compare a closely related sandstone figure of Buddha in meditation, Southern Vietnam, 8th-9th century, 46.5 cm high, in the National Museum of Vietnamese History, Ho Chi Minh City, accession number BTLS 5519, included in the exhibition Lost Kingdoms: Hindu-Buddhist Sculpture of Early Southeast Asia, Metropolitan Museum of Art, 14 April-27 July 2014, and illustrated in the catalog, p. 99, cat. no. 47. Compare a closely related sandstone figure of Buddha, Pre-Angkor period, Angkor Borei style, exhibited by the Museum Angewandte Kunst, Frankfurt, Buddha 108 Encounters, 26 February-7 June 2015.
Auction result comparison:
Type: Related
Auction: Christie's New York, 20 March 2021, lot 151
Price: USD 338,500 or approx.
EUR 370,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A sandstone figure of Buddha Shakyamuni, Angkor Borei, 9th century
Expert remark: Compare the closely related subject and modeling. Note the size (82.6 cm).
Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Christie's New York, 13 September 2016, lot 265
Price: USD 37,500 or approx.
EUR 45,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A sandstone figure of a seated Buddha, Pre-Angkor period, Angkor Borei style, 7th century
Expert remark: Compare the closely related modeling and manner of carving with similar treatment of the hair and drapery. Note the smaller size (48.2 cm).
Buyer's Premium
30%
