A LARGE SANDSTONE FIGURE OF BUDDHA MUCHALINDA, ANGKOR WAT STYLE, 12TH CENTURY

A LARGE SANDSTONE FIGURE OF BUDDHA MUCHALINDA, ANGKOR WAT STYLE, 12TH CENTURY
This lot is from a single owner collection and is therefore offered without reserve

Khmer Empire, Cambodia. Magnificently carved seated in dhyanasana upon the coiled, scaly body of the serpent Muchalinda, sheltered by the seven-headed hood of the naga, with hands resting in his lap in dhyana mudra. The stylized torso, devoid of ornament or drapery, extends into a well-defined head. His visage, distinguished by its broad features, conveys a meditative expression, with downcast eyes beneath gently arched brows, a broad nose, and full lips forming a subtle smile, all flanked by long, pendulous earlobes embellished with large earrings, and surmounted by a carefully arranged conical coiffure, decorated with alternating bands of floral motifs and beaded ornamentation, while secured with a distinctive tiara.

Provenance: Adrian Maynard, London, by 1970. 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. The provenance establishes that this object was located in Europe before the UNESCO 1970 Convention entered into force.

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, commensurate with age. Expected wear, signs of weathering and erosion, structural fissures, old repairs and minor fills, chips, nicks, scratches.

Weight: 69.3 kg
Dimensions: Height 95.8 cm (excl. stand), 102.3 cm (incl. stand)

With an associated modern stand. (2)

This image of the Buddha sheltered by Muchalinda dates to the Angkor Wat period and exemplifies the distinctive sculptural style that flourished during the twelfth century, when the Khmer Empire reached the height of its territorial expansion. The period began under the reign of Suryavarman II, who commissioned the construction of Angkor Wat, the largest temple of the era and one originally dedicated to Vishnu.

Sculpture of the Angkor Wat period is characterized by a return to the more upright and subtly angular modeling that preceded the eleventh-century Baphuon style. While retaining a refined sense of monumentality, works of this period are generally more restrained in scale, corresponding more closely to Baphuon sculpture than to the colossal statuary produced during the tenth century and earlier.

Seven-headed nagas frequently appear in Khmer art and architecture as protective beings. Historically, they are prominently represented as balustrades along the causeways leading to major temples, including those at Angkor Wat. The veneration of the naga, a serpent deity of ancient Indian origin, was readily integrated into Angkorian religious culture, where Indic traditions converged with indigenous beliefs in powerful local serpent spirits. In representations of the Buddha Muchalinda, the naga serves as both protector and symbol of spiritual authority, sheltering the Buddha during meditation.

Muchalinda is the name of a naga sheltering the Buddha from the elements after his enlightenment. When a storm raged and torrential rain fell for a whole week, the king of the nagas, Muchalinda, rose from the earth, coiling its body to form a seat and swelled its great hood to shelter Buddha. When the great storm had cleared, the serpent king assumed his human form, bowed before the Buddha, and returned to his palace.

Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Christie's Amsterdam, 13 April 1999, lot 147
Price: NLG 44,467 or approx.

EUR 37,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A Khmer, Angkor Vat style, sandstone figure of Buddhamuchalinda, 12th-13th century
Expert remark: Compare the closely related modeling of the figure, manner of carving, and stone. Note the similar size (89 cm).

Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Christie's Amsterdam, 8 May 2001, lot 595
Price: NLG 37,600 or approx.

EUR 29,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A Khmer, Angkor Vat style, greyish sandstone figure of Buddhamuchalinda, late 12th century
Expert remark: Compare the closely related modeling of the figure, manner of carving, and stone. Note the smaller size (73 cm).

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