A LARGE PAGAN STYLE BRONZE OF BUDDHA SHAKYAMUNI, LATE 19TH TO EARLY 20TH CENTURY
A LARGE PAGAN STYLE BRONZE OF BUDDHA SHAKYAMUNI, LATE 19TH TO EARLY 20TH CENTURY
Expert's note
The figure was evidently intended for permanent architectural installation at a public location. A massive projecting tang, almost 10 cm long, extends from the back, while three substantial projecting feet below function as additional anchoring points, effectively providing four separate means of attachment. Such unusually robust construction indicates that the figure was once firmly secured within a larger structure,
most plausibly in a temple or other public religious setting. Besides ensuring stability and integrating the sculpture into its setting, these multiple anchor points would also have made its unauthorized removal considerably more difficult, providing an effective safeguard against theft.
Myanmar. Seated in maravijaya with the right hand lowered in bhumisparsa mudra and the left resting in his lap, wearing a sanghati draped over his left shoulder. His serene face with downcast eyes, arched brows, and full lips, flanked by long pendulous earlobes, the hair arranged in tight curls and surmounted by a flaming ushnisha. Three projecting feet to the underside of the statue. The back with a single, elongated tang.
Provenance: A private collection in Germany. Collection of Peter Vredeveld, Deventer, Netherlands, acquired from the above.
Peter Vredeveld is a Dutch dealer and collector specializing in Buddhist sculpture and the founder of Original Buddhas. His interest in Asian art developed during a year spent in Nepal at the age of nineteen, followed by extensive travels through Southeast Asia, where he established lasting connections with collectors and dealers.
Condition: Very good condition with expected old wear, casting irregularities, small nicks, light dings. Overall with a fine, naturally grown, dark patina.
Weight: 30.5 kg
Dimensions: Height 63 cm
The Kingdom of Pagan was the first Burmese kingdom to unify the regions that would later constitute modern-day Myanmar. Pagan's 250-year rule over the Irrawaddy valley and its periphery laid the foundation for the ascent of Burmese language and culture, the spread of Bamar ethnicity in Upper Myanmar, and the growth of Theravada Buddhism in Myanmar and in mainland Southeast Asia. The Burmese language and culture gradually became dominant in the upper Irrawaddy valley, eclipsing the Pyu, Mon, and Pali norms by the late 12th century. Theravada Buddhism slowly began to spread to the village level although Tantric, Mahayana, Brahmanic, and animist practices remained heavily entrenched at all social strata. Pagan's rulers built over 10,000 Buddhist temples in the Bagan Archaeological Zone of which over 2,000 remain today. The wealthy donated tax-free land to religious authorities. The kingdom went into decline in the mid-13th century as the continuous growth of tax-free religious wealth by the 1280s had severely affected the crown's ability to retain the loyalty of courtiers and military servicemen. This ushered in a vicious circle of internal disorders and external challenges by the Arakanese, Mons, Mongols and Shans. Repeated Mongol invasions between 1277 and 1301 toppled the four-century-old kingdom.
The present work belongs to a fascinating tradition of 19th-century Pagan revival bronzes, sometimes made directly from important ancient sculptures. In some cases, molds were taken from the ancient object, allowing the work to preserve its proportions, surface details, and even minor irregularities with remarkable fidelity. Such revival pieces were often commissioned by collectors, museums, or former owners, either for study or display. The history of the celebrated Pagan-period Buddha, now in the British Museum (registration number 1971,0727.1), offers a particularly evocative example: before the original was sold by its owners in the early 20th century, they commissioned a bronze replica to retain a record of the sculpture within the family.
Literature comparison:
Compare a related earlier Pagan bronze figure of Buddha, possibly serving as a prototype for the present lot, illustrated by Sylvia Fraser-Lu, “Buddha Images from Burma. Part II: Bronze and Related Metals”, in Arts of Asia, 1981, March/April issue.
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A LARGE PAGAN STYLE BRONZE OF BUDDHA SHAKYAMUNI, LATE 19TH TO EARLY 20TH CENTURY
Expert's note
The figure was evidently intended for permanent architectural installation at a public location. A massive projecting tang, almost 10 cm long, extends from the back, while three substantial projecting feet below function as additional anchoring points, effectively providing four separate means of attachment. Such unusually robust construction indicates that the figure was once firmly secured within a larger structure,
most plausibly in a temple or other public religious setting. Besides ensuring stability and integrating the sculpture into its setting, these multiple anchor points would also have made its unauthorized removal considerably more difficult, providing an effective safeguard against theft.
Myanmar. Seated in maravijaya with the right hand lowered in bhumisparsa mudra and the left resting in his lap, wearing a sanghati draped over his left shoulder. His serene face with downcast eyes, arched brows, and full lips, flanked by long pendulous earlobes, the hair arranged in tight curls and surmounted by a flaming ushnisha. Three projecting feet to the underside of the statue. The back with a single, elongated tang.
Provenance: A private collection in Germany. Collection of Peter Vredeveld, Deventer, Netherlands, acquired from the above.
Peter Vredeveld is a Dutch dealer and collector specializing in Buddhist sculpture and the founder of Original Buddhas. His interest in Asian art developed during a year spent in Nepal at the age of nineteen, followed by extensive travels through Southeast Asia, where he established lasting connections with collectors and dealers.
Condition: Very good condition with expected old wear, casting irregularities, small nicks, light dings. Overall with a fine, naturally grown, dark patina.
Weight: 30.5 kg
Dimensions: Height 63 cm
The Kingdom of Pagan was the first Burmese kingdom to unify the regions that would later constitute modern-day Myanmar. Pagan's 250-year rule over the Irrawaddy valley and its periphery laid the foundation for the ascent of Burmese language and culture, the spread of Bamar ethnicity in Upper Myanmar, and the growth of Theravada Buddhism in Myanmar and in mainland Southeast Asia. The Burmese language and culture gradually became dominant in the upper Irrawaddy valley, eclipsing the Pyu, Mon, and Pali norms by the late 12th century. Theravada Buddhism slowly began to spread to the village level although Tantric, Mahayana, Brahmanic, and animist practices remained heavily entrenched at all social strata. Pagan's rulers built over 10,000 Buddhist temples in the Bagan Archaeological Zone of which over 2,000 remain today. The wealthy donated tax-free land to religious authorities. The kingdom went into decline in the mid-13th century as the continuous growth of tax-free religious wealth by the 1280s had severely affected the crown's ability to retain the loyalty of courtiers and military servicemen. This ushered in a vicious circle of internal disorders and external challenges by the Arakanese, Mons, Mongols and Shans. Repeated Mongol invasions between 1277 and 1301 toppled the four-century-old kingdom.
The present work belongs to a fascinating tradition of 19th-century Pagan revival bronzes, sometimes made directly from important ancient sculptures. In some cases, molds were taken from the ancient object, allowing the work to preserve its proportions, surface details, and even minor irregularities with remarkable fidelity. Such revival pieces were often commissioned by collectors, museums, or former owners, either for study or display. The history of the celebrated Pagan-period Buddha, now in the British Museum (registration number 1971,0727.1), offers a particularly evocative example: before the original was sold by its owners in the early 20th century, they commissioned a bronze replica to retain a record of the sculpture within the family.
Literature comparison:
Compare a related earlier Pagan bronze figure of Buddha, possibly serving as a prototype for the present lot, illustrated by Sylvia Fraser-Lu, “Buddha Images from Burma. Part II: Bronze and Related Metals”, in Arts of Asia, 1981, March/April issue.
Buyer's Premium
30%
Sale price
Estimate
Time, Location
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