A RARE AND LARGE BRONZE FIGURE OF BUDDHA SHAKYAMUNI, DIVIDED KINGDOMS PERIOD, 15TH-16TH CENTURY

A RARE AND LARGE BRONZE FIGURE OF BUDDHA SHAKYAMUNI, DIVIDED KINGDOMS PERIOD, 15TH-16TH CENTURY

Expert's note:
The exceptional scale of the present sculpture distinguishes it from the great majority of surviving Sri Lankan bronzes of the Divided Kingdoms period (1215-1597 CE). It is among the largest seated bronze Buddhas from this period remaining in private hands today, with little to no comparanda on the auction market (for a gilt-bronze figure of similar size in the Met, see literature comparison below).
The imposing scale lends the figure a particularly majestic presence and attests to the considerable technical ambition involved in its casting. Stylistically, it may be dated to the second half of the Divided Kingdoms period, based on the diaphanous robe, which continues earlier Sinhalese traditions and stands in contrast to the wavy folds introduced during the Kandyan period, and the rounded face. Other features that inform a 15th-16th-century date more specifically for this bronze are its prominent right nipple and the pronounced hemline running underneath it (see John Listopad, Guardian of the Flame, Phoenix Art Museum, 2003, pp. 57-59).

Sri Lanka. Finely cast seated in ardha padmasana upon a double-lotus base neatly carved and incised with crisp symmetrical petals, his right hand raised in vitarka mudra and the left lowered above the lap in dhyana mudra. The sole of the right foot is incised with a large lotus blossom, dharma wheel, alms bowl with offerings, conch, and swastika, while the palm of the right hand shows a floral mark.

He wears a long diaphanous robe draped over the left shoulder, smoothly hugging his empyrean physique. His face bears a calm, meditative expression, with almond-shaped eyes, neatly incised spiral urna and joined arched brows, and full lips forming a calm smile above the prominent chin flanked by elongated earlobes. The hair arranged in tight curls over the ushnisha surmounted by a tall flaming ketumala.

Provenance: From a private collection in Germany.

Condition: Very good condition with expected ancient wear, casting irregularities including several metal fills inherent to the manufacture, minute dings and minuscule nicks, few minor shallow fissures.

Weight:

16.3 kg
Dimensions: Height 47.5 cm

As the historical Buddha and teacher of the Dharma, Shakyamuni occupies the very center of Theravada Buddhism. In Sri Lanka, one of the faith's oldest and most enduring strongholds, his image became the supreme embodiment of enlightenment and a powerful focus for devotion and the accumulation of merit. Here, the vitarka mudra presents the Buddha expounding his teachings, continuing an iconographic tradition deeply rooted in Sri Lankan Buddhist art.

Following the decline of Polonnaruwa in the thirteenth century, Sri Lanka was divided among successive regional kingdoms and shifting capitals. Yet Buddhism remained fundamental to royal authority, and the protection of the Sangha and its sacred images remained a central duty of kingship. Sculpture of the period upheld the serenity, balance, and restrained monumentality of the classical Sinhalese tradition, asserting the continuity of the Dharma amid profound political change.

Literature comparison:
Compare a closely related gilt-copper alloy figure of Buddha, Divided Kingdoms period, dated to the 16th century, 48.7 cm high, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, object number 2010.67. Compare a closely related bonze figure of a Seated Buddha, Divided Kingdoms period, dated to the 15th century, exhibited in the Guardian of the Flame: The Art of Sri Lanka, hosted at the Cantor Arts Center, Stanford University, 2 March-12 June 2005.

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