A RARE AND LARGE INSCRIBED LACQUERED STONE FIGURE OF BUDDHA SHAKYAMUNI, SHAN STATES, 17TH CENTURY
A RARE AND LARGE INSCRIBED LACQUERED STONE FIGURE OF BUDDHA SHAKYAMUNI, SHAN STATES, 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. 161, FH 1991, HH 2000, Burma Shan 17th c. stone B., inscribed”
Gallery price: EUR 7,800 or approx.
EUR 13,000 adjusted for inflation at the time of writing.
Burma. Seated in padmasana on a base, his right hand in bhumisparsha mudra, the left resting on his lap, wearing a sanghati, his face with a meditative expression, arched eyebrows above downcast eyes, the face flanked by elongated earlobes issuing from C-form ears, framed by a lacquered headdress and ushnisha, and surmounted by a bud-shaped finial. The front of the base neatly incised with a line of Burmese inscription.
Provenance: Freddy Hansen, Copenhagen, Denmark, by 1991. Collection of Hans Henningsen, Copenhagen, Denmark, acquired from the above. Jorgen Ruben, acquired from the above in 2000. In the Jorgen Ruben Collection for 26 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.
Hans Henningsen (d. 1999) was a Danish engineer and discerning collector of ancient art, with a particular focus on Egyptian antiquities. From the 1960s onward, Henningsen travelled extensively, visiting museums, dealers, antique shops, and flea markets across continental Europe and Britain. He also made repeated journeys to Egypt at a time when antiquities could still be purchased there legally. Living near Copenhagen's antique district, he was a constant presence among local dealers and became both a friend and mentor to Jorgen Ruben, as well as an early and frequent customer of Ruben's first gallery in Copenhagen. He introduced Ruben to trusted specialists in London and shared with him his deep knowledge of Egyptian art. Henningsen valued quality above all: whether complete, fragmentary, or restored, an object interested him for its artistic merit, craftsmanship, and authenticity.
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: Overall good condition with expected wear, few small nicks and minor chips, flaking and losses to lacquer, the left arm with a minor old fill.
Weight: 82 kg
Dimensions: Height 97.7 cm
The founding of Shan States inside the present-day boundaries of Burma began during the Pagan Kingdom in the Shan Hills and accelerated after 1287 when the Kingdom fell to the Mongols. The Tai people, who came south with the Mongols, stayed, and quickly came to dominate much of the northeastern arc of Burma. The newly founded Shan States were multi-ethnic and included minorities such as the Chin, the Kachin, the Wa, the Ta'ang, the Lisu, the Lahu, the Pa O, and the Kayah. Although Burmanized Shans founded the Ava Kingdom that ruled central Burma, other Shan States, Mohnyin in particular, constantly raided Ava territories throughout the years. A Mohnyin-led Confederation of Shan States finally conquered Ava in 1527.
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.
Within this layered political arrangement, the distinct Shan style of Buddhist art emerged: a localized sculptural idiom shaped by Tai traditions, courtly patronage, and cross-regional influences, including Mon, Burmese, and Lanna aesthetics. Though not coterminous with the Shan States themselves, Shan style sculpture flourished within their territories, often serving as expressions of religious devotion, regional identity, and elite legitimacy under shifting regimes of power.
Auction result comparison:
Type: Related
Auction: Christie's Paris, 18 October 2005, lot 117
Price: EUR 9,560 or approx.
EUR 13,500 adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A Burmese, Shan style, marble figure of Buddha Sakyamuni, 18th century
Expert remark: Compare the related modeling and lacquering with similar pose, robe, and expression. Note the different material and smaller size (75 cm).
Auction result comparison:
Type: Related
Auction: Christie's Amsterdam, 31 October 2006, lot 546
Price: EUR 15,600 or approx.
EUR 25,000 adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A Burmese bronze figure of Buddha Sakyamuni, 17th/18th century
Expert remark: Compare the related modeling with a similar expression and pose. Note the different material and smaller size (68 cm).
Buyer's Premium
30%
A RARE AND LARGE INSCRIBED LACQUERED STONE FIGURE OF BUDDHA SHAKYAMUNI, SHAN STATES, 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. 161, FH 1991, HH 2000, Burma Shan 17th c. stone B., inscribed”
Gallery price: EUR 7,800 or approx.
EUR 13,000 adjusted for inflation at the time of writing.
Burma. Seated in padmasana on a base, his right hand in bhumisparsha mudra, the left resting on his lap, wearing a sanghati, his face with a meditative expression, arched eyebrows above downcast eyes, the face flanked by elongated earlobes issuing from C-form ears, framed by a lacquered headdress and ushnisha, and surmounted by a bud-shaped finial. The front of the base neatly incised with a line of Burmese inscription.
Provenance: Freddy Hansen, Copenhagen, Denmark, by 1991. Collection of Hans Henningsen, Copenhagen, Denmark, acquired from the above. Jorgen Ruben, acquired from the above in 2000. In the Jorgen Ruben Collection for 26 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.
Hans Henningsen (d. 1999) was a Danish engineer and discerning collector of ancient art, with a particular focus on Egyptian antiquities. From the 1960s onward, Henningsen travelled extensively, visiting museums, dealers, antique shops, and flea markets across continental Europe and Britain. He also made repeated journeys to Egypt at a time when antiquities could still be purchased there legally. Living near Copenhagen's antique district, he was a constant presence among local dealers and became both a friend and mentor to Jorgen Ruben, as well as an early and frequent customer of Ruben's first gallery in Copenhagen. He introduced Ruben to trusted specialists in London and shared with him his deep knowledge of Egyptian art. Henningsen valued quality above all: whether complete, fragmentary, or restored, an object interested him for its artistic merit, craftsmanship, and authenticity.
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: Overall good condition with expected wear, few small nicks and minor chips, flaking and losses to lacquer, the left arm with a minor old fill.
Weight: 82 kg
Dimensions: Height 97.7 cm
The founding of Shan States inside the present-day boundaries of Burma began during the Pagan Kingdom in the Shan Hills and accelerated after 1287 when the Kingdom fell to the Mongols. The Tai people, who came south with the Mongols, stayed, and quickly came to dominate much of the northeastern arc of Burma. The newly founded Shan States were multi-ethnic and included minorities such as the Chin, the Kachin, the Wa, the Ta'ang, the Lisu, the Lahu, the Pa O, and the Kayah. Although Burmanized Shans founded the Ava Kingdom that ruled central Burma, other Shan States, Mohnyin in particular, constantly raided Ava territories throughout the years. A Mohnyin-led Confederation of Shan States finally conquered Ava in 1527.
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.
Within this layered political arrangement, the distinct Shan style of Buddhist art emerged: a localized sculptural idiom shaped by Tai traditions, courtly patronage, and cross-regional influences, including Mon, Burmese, and Lanna aesthetics. Though not coterminous with the Shan States themselves, Shan style sculpture flourished within their territories, often serving as expressions of religious devotion, regional identity, and elite legitimacy under shifting regimes of power.
Auction result comparison:
Type: Related
Auction: Christie's Paris, 18 October 2005, lot 117
Price: EUR 9,560 or approx.
EUR 13,500 adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A Burmese, Shan style, marble figure of Buddha Sakyamuni, 18th century
Expert remark: Compare the related modeling and lacquering with similar pose, robe, and expression. Note the different material and smaller size (75 cm).
Auction result comparison:
Type: Related
Auction: Christie's Amsterdam, 31 October 2006, lot 546
Price: EUR 15,600 or approx.
EUR 25,000 adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A Burmese bronze figure of Buddha Sakyamuni, 17th/18th century
Expert remark: Compare the related modeling with a similar expression and pose. Note the different material and smaller size (68 cm).
Buyer's Premium
30%
