A SANDSTONE FIGURE OF UMA, BAYON STYLE, ANGKOR PERIOD, 13TH CENTURY
A SANDSTONE FIGURE OF UMA, BAYON STYLE, ANGKOR PERIOD, 13TH CENTURY
This lot is from a single owner collection and is therefore offered without reserve
The Jorgen Ruben Gallery Ledger, entry from 2005:
“No. 186, LA 1967, A. Maynard, Khmer Bayon Uma 13th c.”
Gallery price: EUR 38,000 or approx.
EUR 63,500 adjusted for inflation at the time of writing.
The ledger establishes that this object was located in Europe before the UNESCO 1970 Convention entered into force.
Khmer Empire. Boldly carved with prominent breasts and rounded belly, wearing a tightly fitted sampot resting low on the hips, incised with individual flower heads and held up with a floral-banded sash secured with a fishtail knot. The face with a serene expression, heavy-lidded eyes, and wide smiling lips, flanked by elongated earlobes, and the hair piled up into a conical chignon.
Provenance: Adrian Maynard, London, by 1967. Collection of Leo Albrecht, Denmark, acquired from the above. Jorgen Ruben, acquired from the above before 2005. In the Jorgen Ruben Collection for at least 21 years.
Adrian Maynard joined Spink & Sons in 1947, where he was appointed Director from 1962 and eventually Deputy Chairman until his retirement in 1984. He was a man of enormous drive and undoubtedly the most flamboyant character to take charge of the Asian art department, which he took to the height of its success. Maynard believed firmly that "a dealer, whose fortune and good name depends on knowing what to buy, has a much greater responsibility to be right about the objects that come into his hands than, say, an academic, who never handles large sums of money.”
Leo Albrecht was a German-born publisher and literary agent who established himself in Copenhagen after the Second World War. In 1951 he founded his agency, which played an important role in expanding the international market for Scandinavian literature. He began collecting art in the late 1950s, with a particular focus on Asian sculpture. In Copenhagen, he spent much of his time visiting antique dealers, museums, and exhibitions. He developed especially close ties with Ole Haslund, Lau Sunde, and Freddy Hansen, among the most prominent dealers in their fields. He also traveled frequently to London, where he became close friends with Adrian Maynard. Jorgen Ruben first met Albrecht in 1984, and they quickly became close friends. Ruben later described him as a gentleman and “the greatest collector of Asian art in Denmark.” He acquired Albrecht's entire Asian sculpture collection when Albrecht moved back to Germany after selling his publishing company. The two remained close, with Albrecht continuing to visit Denmark each summer and staying at the Ruben family's beach house north of Copenhagen.
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, extensive wear and obvious losses, signs of weathering and erosion, nicks, and chips.
Weight: 25.7 kg (incl. stand)
Dimensions: Height 80 cm (excl. stand), 88 cm (incl. stand)
With an associated modern stand. (2)
The figure's garment consists of a skirt, with a large triangular fold in front, decorated with floral ornaments; it is held in place at the waist by a wide jeweled belt. Jean Boisselier, who refers to this long sampot as a sarong, describes it in these terms: "The sarong is no longer made of pleated material, but is decorated with florets familiar from the bas-reliefs of Angkor Wat. The downturned edge has practically disappeared, the borders are defined by a narrow braid, and the front flap is folded over on itself and extends to a triangular point, remarkably like a shark's fin.
Literature comparison:
Compare a closely related sandstone figure of Prajnaparamita, also with an incised floral skirt and similar hairdo, Kingdom of Angkor, dated approx. 1200, 95.9 cm tall, in the Asian Art Museum, object number B71S7.
Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Christie's New York, 30 March 2006, lot 119
Price: USD 78,000 or approx.
EUR 113,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A gray sandstone figure of Uma, Khmer, Angkor period, Bayon style, 13th century
Expert remark: Compare the closely related modeling, manner of carving, stone, subject, and size (84 cm).
Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Christie's New York, 25 March 2004, lot 169
Price: USD 21,510 or approx.
EUR 33,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A sandstone figure of a female deity, Khmer, Angkor period, Bayon style, 13th century
Expert remark: Compare the closely related modeling and manner of carving with similar foliate incised sampot and size (79.9 cm).
Buyer's Premium
30%
A SANDSTONE FIGURE OF UMA, BAYON STYLE, ANGKOR PERIOD, 13TH CENTURY
This lot is from a single owner collection and is therefore offered without reserve
The Jorgen Ruben Gallery Ledger, entry from 2005:
“No. 186, LA 1967, A. Maynard, Khmer Bayon Uma 13th c.”
Gallery price: EUR 38,000 or approx.
EUR 63,500 adjusted for inflation at the time of writing.
The ledger establishes that this object was located in Europe before the UNESCO 1970 Convention entered into force.
Khmer Empire. Boldly carved with prominent breasts and rounded belly, wearing a tightly fitted sampot resting low on the hips, incised with individual flower heads and held up with a floral-banded sash secured with a fishtail knot. The face with a serene expression, heavy-lidded eyes, and wide smiling lips, flanked by elongated earlobes, and the hair piled up into a conical chignon.
Provenance: Adrian Maynard, London, by 1967. Collection of Leo Albrecht, Denmark, acquired from the above. Jorgen Ruben, acquired from the above before 2005. In the Jorgen Ruben Collection for at least 21 years.
Adrian Maynard joined Spink & Sons in 1947, where he was appointed Director from 1962 and eventually Deputy Chairman until his retirement in 1984. He was a man of enormous drive and undoubtedly the most flamboyant character to take charge of the Asian art department, which he took to the height of its success. Maynard believed firmly that "a dealer, whose fortune and good name depends on knowing what to buy, has a much greater responsibility to be right about the objects that come into his hands than, say, an academic, who never handles large sums of money.”
Leo Albrecht was a German-born publisher and literary agent who established himself in Copenhagen after the Second World War. In 1951 he founded his agency, which played an important role in expanding the international market for Scandinavian literature. He began collecting art in the late 1950s, with a particular focus on Asian sculpture. In Copenhagen, he spent much of his time visiting antique dealers, museums, and exhibitions. He developed especially close ties with Ole Haslund, Lau Sunde, and Freddy Hansen, among the most prominent dealers in their fields. He also traveled frequently to London, where he became close friends with Adrian Maynard. Jorgen Ruben first met Albrecht in 1984, and they quickly became close friends. Ruben later described him as a gentleman and “the greatest collector of Asian art in Denmark.” He acquired Albrecht's entire Asian sculpture collection when Albrecht moved back to Germany after selling his publishing company. The two remained close, with Albrecht continuing to visit Denmark each summer and staying at the Ruben family's beach house north of Copenhagen.
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, extensive wear and obvious losses, signs of weathering and erosion, nicks, and chips.
Weight: 25.7 kg (incl. stand)
Dimensions: Height 80 cm (excl. stand), 88 cm (incl. stand)
With an associated modern stand. (2)
The figure's garment consists of a skirt, with a large triangular fold in front, decorated with floral ornaments; it is held in place at the waist by a wide jeweled belt. Jean Boisselier, who refers to this long sampot as a sarong, describes it in these terms: "The sarong is no longer made of pleated material, but is decorated with florets familiar from the bas-reliefs of Angkor Wat. The downturned edge has practically disappeared, the borders are defined by a narrow braid, and the front flap is folded over on itself and extends to a triangular point, remarkably like a shark's fin.
Literature comparison:
Compare a closely related sandstone figure of Prajnaparamita, also with an incised floral skirt and similar hairdo, Kingdom of Angkor, dated approx. 1200, 95.9 cm tall, in the Asian Art Museum, object number B71S7.
Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Christie's New York, 30 March 2006, lot 119
Price: USD 78,000 or approx.
EUR 113,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A gray sandstone figure of Uma, Khmer, Angkor period, Bayon style, 13th century
Expert remark: Compare the closely related modeling, manner of carving, stone, subject, and size (84 cm).
Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Christie's New York, 25 March 2004, lot 169
Price: USD 21,510 or approx.
EUR 33,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A sandstone figure of a female deity, Khmer, Angkor period, Bayon style, 13th century
Expert remark: Compare the closely related modeling and manner of carving with similar foliate incised sampot and size (79.9 cm).
Buyer's Premium
30%
