A MONUMENTAL SANDSTONE HEAD OF BUDDHA, AYUTTHAYA KINGDOM, 15TH CENTURY
A MONUMENTAL SANDSTONE HEAD OF BUDDHA, AYUTTHAYA KINGDOM, 15TH CENTURY
This lot is from a single owner collection and is therefore offered without reserve
Thailand. The exquisitely modeled face bears a serene expression, with deep, heavy-lidded eyes inlaid with mother-of-pearl and black lacquer, elegantly arched brows, and neatly incised lips below an aquiline nose, all defined with gracefully curved lines and flanked by pendulous ears. The hair is arranged in rows of tight curls over the high ushnisha, surmounted by a flaming finial.
Provenance: Mikhel Petersen, Denmark, by 2024. Jorgen Ruben, acquired from the above.
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, signs of weathering and erosion, obvious losses, small chips to ears, few tiny nicks, remnants of old varnish.
Weight: 35 kg (incl. stand)
Dimensions: Height 54.4 cm (excl. stand), 79.5 cm (incl. stand)
With an associated stand. (2)
During the fourteenth through sixteenth centuries, Thailand's Ayutthaya kingdom became one of the most powerful forces on mainland Southeast Asia. Continuing the artistic trajectory set forth under the Sukhothai, the Theravada polity sponsored the production of Buddha images fashioned in a new distinct style. The faces display a curvilinear contour with the hairline extending towards the sinuous browline accentuated by elongated ears flared at the upper and lower tips. The eyes, extending evenly across the width of the face, are three-quarters closed to endow the figure with a sense of serenity that is at once inwardly directed and engaged with the world.
Literature comparison:
Compare a related smaller Ayutthaya stone head of Buddha, dated approx. 1350-1450, 36.8 cm high, in the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, object number F2002.8.9.
Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Christie's New York, 22 March 2011, lot 251
Price: USD 56,250 or approx.
EUR 72,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A large sandstone head of Buddha, Thailand, Ayutthaya, 14th/15th century
Expert remark: Compare the related carving manner with similar facial features and flame finial. Note the size (47.5 cm).
Buyer's Premium
30%
A MONUMENTAL SANDSTONE HEAD OF BUDDHA, AYUTTHAYA KINGDOM, 15TH CENTURY
This lot is from a single owner collection and is therefore offered without reserve
Thailand. The exquisitely modeled face bears a serene expression, with deep, heavy-lidded eyes inlaid with mother-of-pearl and black lacquer, elegantly arched brows, and neatly incised lips below an aquiline nose, all defined with gracefully curved lines and flanked by pendulous ears. The hair is arranged in rows of tight curls over the high ushnisha, surmounted by a flaming finial.
Provenance: Mikhel Petersen, Denmark, by 2024. Jorgen Ruben, acquired from the above.
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, signs of weathering and erosion, obvious losses, small chips to ears, few tiny nicks, remnants of old varnish.
Weight: 35 kg (incl. stand)
Dimensions: Height 54.4 cm (excl. stand), 79.5 cm (incl. stand)
With an associated stand. (2)
During the fourteenth through sixteenth centuries, Thailand's Ayutthaya kingdom became one of the most powerful forces on mainland Southeast Asia. Continuing the artistic trajectory set forth under the Sukhothai, the Theravada polity sponsored the production of Buddha images fashioned in a new distinct style. The faces display a curvilinear contour with the hairline extending towards the sinuous browline accentuated by elongated ears flared at the upper and lower tips. The eyes, extending evenly across the width of the face, are three-quarters closed to endow the figure with a sense of serenity that is at once inwardly directed and engaged with the world.
Literature comparison:
Compare a related smaller Ayutthaya stone head of Buddha, dated approx. 1350-1450, 36.8 cm high, in the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, object number F2002.8.9.
Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Christie's New York, 22 March 2011, lot 251
Price: USD 56,250 or approx.
EUR 72,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A large sandstone head of Buddha, Thailand, Ayutthaya, 14th/15th century
Expert remark: Compare the related carving manner with similar facial features and flame finial. Note the size (47.5 cm).
Buyer's Premium
30%
