A MONUMENTAL BRONZE HEAD OF BUDDHA SHAKYAMUNI, AVA PERIOD, 17TH CENTURY
A MONUMENTAL BRONZE HEAD OF BUDDHA SHAKYAMUNI, AVA PERIOD, 17TH CENTURY
This lot is from a single owner collection and is therefore offered without reserve
The Jorgen Ruben Gallery Ledger, entry from 2005:
“No. 206, FH 1992, Burma Shan 17th c. bronze head of Buddha”
Gallery price: EUR 6,600 or approx.
EUR 11,000 adjusted for inflation at the time of writing.
Expert's note:
In this period, the Shan and Myanmar styles integrate into this Ava style, where the face is rounder with a pointed chin and a distinctive mouth with a clear cleft above the upper lip. The nose is straight with flaring nostrils, the eyebrows curved, the eyes gaze downwards. The present head is rare and impressive for its fine modeling and large size. The important sculpture it originally belonged to was over 1 m tall if seated, based on the proportions of a related Ava period bronze figure of Buddha Shakyamuni, 63 cm high, dated 18th century, at Christie's Paris, 15 December 2010, lot 385.
Burma. Heavily cast, the serene face with heavy-lidded eyes, below gently arched eyebrows, a broad nose, full lips forming a calm smile, flanked by elongated earlobes. The hair arranged in tight curls above a hairline band, surmounted by an ushnisha and a massive ketumala.
Provenance: Freddy Hansen, Copenhagen, Denmark, by 1992. Jorgen Ruben, acquired from the above. In the Jorgen Ruben Collection for 34 years.
Freddy Hansen was a Danish dealer of Asian art and antiquities, particularly Buddhist sculpture. Based in Copenhagen, he was active from the 1950s onward and became one of Denmark's most prominent dealers in Asian art before his retirement in the early 1990s.
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, few small dents, tiny nicks. The bronze with a fine, naturally grown, dark patina.
Weight: 25 kg
Dimensions: Height 46.2 cm (excl. stand), 56.5 cm (incl. stand)
With an associated modern stand. (2)
In 1555, King Bayinnaung dislodged Shan King Sithu Kyawhtin from Ava. By 1557 he went on to conquer all of what would become known as the Burmese Shan States under his rule, from the Assamese border in the northwest to those in Kachin and Shan Hills, including the two most powerful Shan States, Mohnyin and Mogaung. The Shan States were reduced to the status of governorships, but the Saophas (rulers) were permitted to retain their royal regalia and their feudal rights over their own subjects. Bayinnaung introduced Burmese customary law and prohibited all human and animal sacrifices. He also required the sons of Saophas to reside in the Burmese king's palace, essentially hostages, in order to ensure the good conduct of their fathers and to receive training in Burmese court life. Burmese kings continued this policy until 1885, when the Kingdom fell to the British. In the mid-18th century, the Burmese Konbaung dynasty's reassertion of the easternmost boundaries of Burmese Shan States led to war with China, following which eight of the Chinese Shan States were briefly occupied by the Kingdom of Burma. The Burmese success in repelling Chinese forces laid the foundation for the present-day boundary between Burma and China.
Auction result comparison:
Type: Related
Auction: Christie's Amsterdam, 31 October 2006, lot 541
Price: EUR 5,040 or approx.
EUR 8,000 adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A Burmese, Ava style, brownish lacquered stone head of Buddha Shakyamuni, 17th century
Expert remark: Compare the closely related modeling and subject. Note the size (38 cm) and
different material.
Auction result comparison:
Type: Related
Auction: Christie's Amsterdam, 10 December 2002, lot 141
Price: EUR 7,170 or approx.
EUR 12,500 adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A Burmese, Ava style, red lacquered stone head of Buddha Shakyamuni, 17th century
Expert remark: Compare the closely related modeling and subject. Note the different material and the size (56 cm).
Buyer's Premium
30%
A MONUMENTAL BRONZE HEAD OF BUDDHA SHAKYAMUNI, AVA PERIOD, 17TH CENTURY
This lot is from a single owner collection and is therefore offered without reserve
The Jorgen Ruben Gallery Ledger, entry from 2005:
“No. 206, FH 1992, Burma Shan 17th c. bronze head of Buddha”
Gallery price: EUR 6,600 or approx.
EUR 11,000 adjusted for inflation at the time of writing.
Expert's note:
In this period, the Shan and Myanmar styles integrate into this Ava style, where the face is rounder with a pointed chin and a distinctive mouth with a clear cleft above the upper lip. The nose is straight with flaring nostrils, the eyebrows curved, the eyes gaze downwards. The present head is rare and impressive for its fine modeling and large size. The important sculpture it originally belonged to was over 1 m tall if seated, based on the proportions of a related Ava period bronze figure of Buddha Shakyamuni, 63 cm high, dated 18th century, at Christie's Paris, 15 December 2010, lot 385.
Burma. Heavily cast, the serene face with heavy-lidded eyes, below gently arched eyebrows, a broad nose, full lips forming a calm smile, flanked by elongated earlobes. The hair arranged in tight curls above a hairline band, surmounted by an ushnisha and a massive ketumala.
Provenance: Freddy Hansen, Copenhagen, Denmark, by 1992. Jorgen Ruben, acquired from the above. In the Jorgen Ruben Collection for 34 years.
Freddy Hansen was a Danish dealer of Asian art and antiquities, particularly Buddhist sculpture. Based in Copenhagen, he was active from the 1950s onward and became one of Denmark's most prominent dealers in Asian art before his retirement in the early 1990s.
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, few small dents, tiny nicks. The bronze with a fine, naturally grown, dark patina.
Weight: 25 kg
Dimensions: Height 46.2 cm (excl. stand), 56.5 cm (incl. stand)
With an associated modern stand. (2)
In 1555, King Bayinnaung dislodged Shan King Sithu Kyawhtin from Ava. By 1557 he went on to conquer all of what would become known as the Burmese Shan States under his rule, from the Assamese border in the northwest to those in Kachin and Shan Hills, including the two most powerful Shan States, Mohnyin and Mogaung. The Shan States were reduced to the status of governorships, but the Saophas (rulers) were permitted to retain their royal regalia and their feudal rights over their own subjects. Bayinnaung introduced Burmese customary law and prohibited all human and animal sacrifices. He also required the sons of Saophas to reside in the Burmese king's palace, essentially hostages, in order to ensure the good conduct of their fathers and to receive training in Burmese court life. Burmese kings continued this policy until 1885, when the Kingdom fell to the British. In the mid-18th century, the Burmese Konbaung dynasty's reassertion of the easternmost boundaries of Burmese Shan States led to war with China, following which eight of the Chinese Shan States were briefly occupied by the Kingdom of Burma. The Burmese success in repelling Chinese forces laid the foundation for the present-day boundary between Burma and China.
Auction result comparison:
Type: Related
Auction: Christie's Amsterdam, 31 October 2006, lot 541
Price: EUR 5,040 or approx.
EUR 8,000 adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A Burmese, Ava style, brownish lacquered stone head of Buddha Shakyamuni, 17th century
Expert remark: Compare the closely related modeling and subject. Note the size (38 cm) and
different material.
Auction result comparison:
Type: Related
Auction: Christie's Amsterdam, 10 December 2002, lot 141
Price: EUR 7,170 or approx.
EUR 12,500 adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A Burmese, Ava style, red lacquered stone head of Buddha Shakyamuni, 17th century
Expert remark: Compare the closely related modeling and subject. Note the different material and the size (56 cm).
Buyer's Premium
30%
