A RARE SILVER FIGURE OF AVALOKITESVARA PADMAPANI, CENTRAL JAVA, 9TH-10TH CENTURY

A RARE SILVER FIGURE OF AVALOKITESVARA PADMAPANI, CENTRAL JAVA, 9TH-10TH CENTURY

Indonesia, Kedu region. Finely cast, seated in lalitasana in a gently swaying posture, the right hand resting on the knee in karana mudra and the left hand holding the stem of a lotus blooming beside the shoulder. The slender figure wearing simple jewelry and a short dhoti secured at the waist by a jeweled belt. The serene face is finely modeled with downcast eyes and a subtle smile, the hair elaborately tied into a tall coiffure with curling locks and a small seated figure of Amitabha at the front.

The figure is supported by three projecting tangs at the bottom.

Provenance: A Belgian private collection. Galerie Milano, Paris, by 2000. Collection of Paolo Bertuzzi, acquired from the above. A copy of a stamped certificate written by Daniele Milano of Galerie Milano, dated 18 February 2000, confirming the dating and provenance above, accompanies this lot. Paolo Bertuzzi (1943-2022) was a fashion stylist from Bologna. He was the son of Enrichetta Bertuzzi, founder of Hettabretz, a noted Italian fashion company with customers such as the Rothschild family, Audrey Hepburn, and Elizabeth Taylor. Paolo Bertuzzi later took over his mother's business and designed exclusive pieces, some of which were exhibited in the Costume Institute of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, USA. He was also an avid collector of antiques for more than sixty years. His collection includes both archaic and contemporary art, and he edited two important books about Asian art, Goa Made - An Archaeological Discovery, about a large-scale archaeological project carried out with the Italian and Indonesian governments, and Majapahit, Masterpieces from a Forgotten Kingdom.
Condition: Excellent condition, commensurate with age. Wear, minor rubbing, few minute dents, small pitting, little corrosion, and tarnishing, all as expected.

Weight: 128 g
Dimensions: Height 7 cm (excl. tangs), 7.5 cm (incl. tangs)

Literature comparison
Compare a related silver figure of Avalokiteshvara, Java, dated to 870-930, 9.5 cm high, in the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, inv. no. AK-MAK-312. Compare a related cast-silver figure of Avalokiteshvara, dated to the early 9th century, 10.5 cm high, forming part of an enthroned Buddha triad from Central Java in the collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, inv. no. 2025.295a-c.

Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Bonhams Hong Kong, 2 October 2018, lot 149
Mid-estimate: HKD 200,000 or approx. EUR 26,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A silver figure of Khasarpana Lokeshvara, Java, 10th century, 9.5 cm high.
Expert remark: Compare the closely related modeling. Note the size (9.5 cm)

Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Bonhams Hong Kong, 2 December 2021, lot 1001
Price: HKD 190,000 or approx. EUR 23,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A silver figure of Manjushri, Java, Indonesia, circa 9th century
Expert remark: Compare the closely related modeling. Note the halo and the size (8.5 cm).