† A LARGE BRONZE FIGURE OF AVALOKITESHVARA, SRIVIJAYA STYLE, THAILAND, CIRCA 17TH-18TH CENTURY

† A LARGE BRONZE FIGURE OF AVALOKITESHVARA, SRIVIJAYA STYLE, THAILAND, CIRCA 17TH-18TH CENTURY

Finely cast seated in lalitasana, his right hand raised in vitarka mudra and his left lowered above the knee, each exposing the palm cast with a floral emblem. Sensuously modeled with broad shoulders and slender torso, clad in a long, loose-fitting dhoti secured at the waist by a jeweled belt and richly adorned with beaded necklaces, armlets, bracelets, anklets, and a long upavita falling diagonally across the torso and continuing over the back.

The sensitively modeled face bears a serene and meditative expression, with heavy-lidded downcast eyes beneath gently arched brows centered by an urna, a broad nose, and full lips forming a subtle smile, flanked by elongated earlobes suspending foliate earrings. The hair is gathered into a tall, elaborately tiered jatamukuta, centered to the front by a diminutive seated image of Amitabha Buddha and secured by a jeweled diadem, with long beaded tresses descending over the shoulders.

Provenance: The private collection of Eric Dieu, acquired in 2005 in Thailand.

Eric Dieu is a Frenchman who established Galerie Mouhot, a gallery specializing in Khmer Art based in River City Bangkok, 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 with minor wear, casting irregularities, traces of weathering, minute nicks, light surface scratches. The bronze with a rich, naturally grown patina with malachite encrustations.

Metallurgy: XRF/SEM analysis shows a brass alloy composed of copper (65.2%), zinc (33.2%), tin (0.7%), iron (0.5%), lead (0.3%), and nickel (0.2%). The substantial zinc content and low tin content accord with the brass alloys characteristic of late Ayutthaya sculpture of the 17th-18th century, documented by testing of the Griswold Collection at the Walters Art Museum. A crowned Buddha head dated to the second half of the 17th century, accession number 54.2810, recorded 31.92% zinc in an XRF measurement of its crown. See Hiram W. Woodward Jr., The Sacred Sculpture of Thailand, 1997, Appendix C, pp. 279-280 and 287.

Weight: 10 kg (excl. stand), 10.2 kg (incl. stand)
Dimensions: Height 43 cm (excl. stand), 47 cm (incl. stand)

Mounted on a modern stand. (2)

The present figure draws on the earlier sculptural traditions of southern Thailand. Srivijaya emerged in southern Sumatra during the seventh century and developed into a powerful maritime realm whose influence extended across the Straits of Malacca and much of the Malay Peninsula, including southern Thailand. Situated between the Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Thailand, the peninsula was crossed by routes connecting the Indian Ocean with the South China Sea, along which merchants, monks, sacred texts, and artistic traditions circulated. Centers such as Chaiya and Nakhon Si Thammarat consequently flourished as important nodes of Buddhist devotion and maritime exchange. The close association of southern Thailand with Srivijayan Buddhism is documented by the Ligor inscription of 775, discovered at Nakhon Si Thammarat, which records the foundation by a ruler of Srivijaya of sanctuaries dedicated to the Buddha and the bodhisattvas Padmapani and Vajrapani.

Avalokiteshvara acquired particular prominence within this maritime Buddhist world. As the Bodhisattva of Compassion, he offered salvation from both spiritual suffering and immediate physical danger; the Lotus Sutra specifically invokes his power to deliver those imperiled at sea, making him a natural protector of merchants and mariners. The diminutive image of Amitabha in the headdress identifies the deity, while the serene expression and princely ornaments proclaim his celestial rank. The present bronze recalls this earlier artistic tradition in its sensuous modeling, elaborate headdress, and richly beaded jewelry.

Literature comparison:
For an example from Srivijaya, compare a copper alloy figure of Avalokiteshvara, dated to the 8th-early 9th century, 56.6 cm high, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, object number 1982.64, included in the exhibition Lost Kingdoms: Hindu-Buddhist Sculpture of Early Southeast Asia, 5th to 8th Century, 15 April-27 July 2014, and published in the exhibition catalogue by John Guy, cat. p. 251, no. 158.

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