A RARE AND LARGE BRONZE FIGURE OF THE WALKING BUDDHA, CHIENG SEN PERIOD, 15TH CENTURY

A RARE AND LARGE BRONZE FIGURE OF THE WALKING BUDDHA, CHIENG SEN PERIOD, 15TH CENTURY
This lot is from a single owner collection and is therefore offered without reserve

The Jorgen Ruben Gallery Ledger, entry from 2012:
“No. 750, Walking Buddha (very rare) on a base of lotus petals, Thai period? Bronze, H.: 80 cm., FH 1986.”
Gallery price: EUR 78,000 or approx.

EUR 111,000 adjusted for inflation at the time of writing.

Thailand. Superbly cast, portrayed striding forward with the right leg slightly advanced, standing on a double-lotus pedestal, the right hand raised in vitarka mudra, while the left arm extends gracefully alongside the body. The figure is clad in a diaphanous sanghati, elegantly draped over the left shoulder and falling in a gently undulating hemline. The finely modeled face conveys a profound serenity, characterized by heavy-lidded downcast eyes beneath softly arched brows, a broad nose, and full lips forming a composed smile, all framed by long, pendulous earlobes. The hair is arranged in tight snail curls covering the prominent ushnisha.

Provenance: Freddy Hansen, Copenhagen, Denmark, by 1986. Jorgen Ruben, acquired from the above. In the Jorgen Ruben Collection for 40 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: Very good condition with expected wear, casting irregularities, traces of weathering, encrustations, corrosion, a minor loss to the back of the base, few small dents and light nicks. The flame lost. The bronze with a rich, naturally grown patina overall with vibrant malachite encrustations.

Weight: 19.5 kg
Dimensions: Height 80.4 cm

The present sculpture is cast in the Northern Sukhothai style, also referred to as the Chieng Sen style, named after the notable northern Thai city situated on the banks of the Mekong River during the Lan Na kingdom. This stylistic tradition combines elements of both the Sukhothai and Lan Na schools, two of the principal sculptural traditions of Thailand.

Particularly noteworthy in the present example is the treatment of the robe. Whereas classical Lan Na images typically depict the hem of the garment draped high above the left pectoral of the Buddha, here the Sukhothai convention is followed, with the robe descending to terminate at the navel. The work further exhibits the elongated and slender proportions characteristic of the Northern Sukhothai style, features commonly associated with sculptures produced after the mid-15th century, following the annexation of Sukhothai by the Ayutthaya Kingdom.

Literature comparison:
Compare a closely related bronze figure of the walking Buddha, Thailand, late Sukhothai period, 15th-16th century, 117 cm high, in the Asian Civilizations Museum, Singapore, accession number 1999-01714. Compare a related bronze figure of Buddha, Thailand, Lan Na period, early 16th century, 64.5 cm high, in the Hermitage Museum, Saint Petersburg, museum number ИС-131.

Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Christie's Paris, 13 June 2018, lot 241
Price: EUR 199,500 or approx.

EUR 255,000 adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A bronze figure of Buddha Shakyamuni, Thailand, Chieng Sen period, 15th century
Expert remark: Compare the closely related modeling and manner of casting with similar patina. Note the size (102 cm).

Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Christie's New York, 13 September 2017, lot 635
Price: USD 100,000 or approx.

EUR 117,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A rare bronze figure of a Walking Buddha, Thailand, Sukhothai period, 15th century
Expert remark: Compare the closely related subject, manner of casting, and modeling, with similar drapery and facial features. Note the smaller size (43.7 cm).

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