A MONUMENTAL (40 CM) AND IMPORTANT BRONZE HEAD OF BUDDHA, NORTHERN THAILAND, 14TH-15TH CENTURY

A MONUMENTAL (40 CM) AND IMPORTANT BRONZE HEAD OF BUDDHA, NORTHERN THAILAND, 14TH-15TH CENTURY
This lot is from a single owner collection and is therefore offered without reserve

Expert's note: Thai bronzes of this size and preservation are exceptionally rare, particularly those that are over 500 years old. It is challenging to imagine the impressive scale of the complete seated sculpture to which this head once belonged. The original image probably measured around 125-130 cm in height if seated (excluding the base), based on the proportions of a smaller Lan Na bronze figure of Buddha sold at Bonhams New York, 21 March 2023, lot 530A, while a standing figure would have been well over two meters tall. Only a few works of similar magnitude have endured the test of time, and this magnificent head is among the largest privately owned examples. Despite the passage of centuries, it has retained all its spirit: a near-magical presence, a profound sense of tranquility, and, above all, its ability to inspire.

Heavily cast, the serene face with downcast eyes and heavy lids beneath delicately arched brows, a slightly aquiline 'beaked' nose and softly smiling and incised lips, flanked by pendulous earlobes, the hair is finely worked in snail-shell curls arranged in tiered rows, surmounted by an ushnisha and a distinctive bud-shaped finial.

Provenance: A private collection in Denmark, acquired in the 1980s. Jorgen Ruben, acquired from the above. In the Jorgen Ruben Collection for at least 37 years.

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 and casting irregularities, obvious losses, tiny nicks, small dents, remnants of gilt and lacquer, the bronze covered in an old varnish which shows some flaking, areas of surface corrosion. The bronze has a rich, naturally grown, dark patina with malachite encrustations.

Weight: 11.2 kg
Dimensions: Height 40 cm

This larger than life-size and superbly cast head of the historical Buddha shows him with a sublime inner calm resulting from his deep spiritual compassion. This is enhanced by the rich patina of the bronze. With its prominent bud-shaped finial, it is a classic example of the iconic Phra Singh type, sometimes also called Early Chieng Sen, seen for its robust, fleshier build as one of Thailand's most sensuous Buddha images. The voluminous face, with its snail-shaped curls, is reminiscent of the casting workshops of the city of Chieng Sen in the Lan Na kingdom in North Thailand.

Ceasing to represent the Buddha in a Khmer manner by the 13th century, the emergent Thai kingdoms of Sukhothai and Lan Na developed their own emblematic Buddha images. Coded within Lan Na's Prah Singh type is an intriguing multiculturalism, with a physique and iconography drawn from Indian Gupta and Pala prototypes as they filtered through Pagan and Sri Lanka. Examples of the Prah Singh type are found in Lan Na and Sukhothai bronzes of the 14th and 15th centuries, see a Buddha from Sukhothai and now at Wat Pho, Bangkok, dated last half 14th century, illustrated by Carol Stratton, Buddhist Sculpture of Northern Thailand, 2004, p. 171, fig. 7.18; and another at Wat Phra That Boromathat, described as “Lan Na with some Sukhothai styling”, 86 cm high, dated early 15th century, illustrated ibid., p. 174, fig. 7.29.

Literature comparison:
Compare a related Sukhothai bronze head of Buddha, dated 14th-15th century, 41.4 cm high, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, object number 1981.458.

Auction result comparison:
Type: Related
Auction: Christie's London, 11 May 2016, lot 102
Price: GBP 40,000 or approx.

EUR 65,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A monumental bronze head of buddha, Thailand, Chieng Sen period, 15th century
Expert remark: Compare the related modeling and manner of casting with similar facial expression, snail-shell curls, and size (41 cm).

Auction result comparison:
Type: Related
Auction: Christie's Amsterdam, 31 October 2000, lot 121
Price: NLG 163,828 or approx.

EUR 140,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: An important Thai, Chien Seng Style, bronze head of Buddha Sakyamuni, 14th/15th century
Expert remark: Compare the related casting manner and modeling with similar facial expression and snail-shell curls. Note the larger size (60 cm).

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