A SMALL JAIN BRONZE FIGURE OF RISHABHANATHA, PALA PERIOD
A SMALL JAIN BRONZE FIGURE OF RISHABHANATHA, PALA PERIOD
This lot is from a single owner collection and is therefore offered without reserve
South India, 9th-10th century. Finely cast, depicted seated in dhyanasana, absorbed in a state of profound meditation, with the hands resting in dhyana mudra upon the lap, the thumbs gently touching to signify meditative equilibrium. The torso, rendered in the sky-clad form (naked) in accordance with the ascetic ideals of the Digambara tradition, is clearly articulated, with the shoulders subtly inclined forward. The head, highly abstracted in form, is defined primarily by two almond-shaped eyes with an alert yet inwardly focused gaze, and by the neatly arranged hair cascading over the shoulders, a distinctive feature associated with Rishabhanatha.
Provenance: Freddy Hansen, Copenhagen, Denmark, by 1990. Jorgen Ruben, acquired from the above. In the Jorgen Ruben Collection for 36 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, traces of weathering, and minor losses. The bronze with a fine, naturally grown patina and an unctuous feel overall, as a result of many centuries of handling and appreciation.
Weight: 92.3 g
Dimensions: Height 5.6 cm
This charming, small bronze depicting Rishabhanatha conveys a striking sense of presence. Rishabhanatha, the first of the twenty-four Tirthankaras in Jainism, is traditionally regarded as having lived in remote antiquity and remains among the most widely venerated figures within the Jain tradition.
The figure most likely belongs to the small but significant corpus of Jain bronzes from Karnataka or Tamil Nadu in South India, although no direct published parallel has been identified. This attribution is supported by the fact that these regions witnessed a notable revival of Jain artistic production during the eighth and ninth centuries, as well as by the distinctive seated posture in which one leg is folded over the other, reflecting a southern Indian meditative convention in contrast to the double lotus position more typical of northern representations. In addition, the association with the Digambara sect strongly supports a South Indian context, where this tradition was particularly prominent during the period in question.
Literature comparison:
Compare a related bronze figure of a Tirthankara, India, South Deccan, 10th century, 11 cm high, in the Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford, accession number EA2013.84.
Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Bonhams Paris, 14 June 2022, lot 4
Price: EUR 35,655 or approx.
EUR 40,500 adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A gilt copper alloy figure of Rishabhanatha, South India, circa 9th century
Expert remark: Compare the closely related subject, manner of casting, and modeling. Note the gilding and similar size (7 cm).
Buyer's Premium
30%
A SMALL JAIN BRONZE FIGURE OF RISHABHANATHA, PALA PERIOD
This lot is from a single owner collection and is therefore offered without reserve
South India, 9th-10th century. Finely cast, depicted seated in dhyanasana, absorbed in a state of profound meditation, with the hands resting in dhyana mudra upon the lap, the thumbs gently touching to signify meditative equilibrium. The torso, rendered in the sky-clad form (naked) in accordance with the ascetic ideals of the Digambara tradition, is clearly articulated, with the shoulders subtly inclined forward. The head, highly abstracted in form, is defined primarily by two almond-shaped eyes with an alert yet inwardly focused gaze, and by the neatly arranged hair cascading over the shoulders, a distinctive feature associated with Rishabhanatha.
Provenance: Freddy Hansen, Copenhagen, Denmark, by 1990. Jorgen Ruben, acquired from the above. In the Jorgen Ruben Collection for 36 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, traces of weathering, and minor losses. The bronze with a fine, naturally grown patina and an unctuous feel overall, as a result of many centuries of handling and appreciation.
Weight: 92.3 g
Dimensions: Height 5.6 cm
This charming, small bronze depicting Rishabhanatha conveys a striking sense of presence. Rishabhanatha, the first of the twenty-four Tirthankaras in Jainism, is traditionally regarded as having lived in remote antiquity and remains among the most widely venerated figures within the Jain tradition.
The figure most likely belongs to the small but significant corpus of Jain bronzes from Karnataka or Tamil Nadu in South India, although no direct published parallel has been identified. This attribution is supported by the fact that these regions witnessed a notable revival of Jain artistic production during the eighth and ninth centuries, as well as by the distinctive seated posture in which one leg is folded over the other, reflecting a southern Indian meditative convention in contrast to the double lotus position more typical of northern representations. In addition, the association with the Digambara sect strongly supports a South Indian context, where this tradition was particularly prominent during the period in question.
Literature comparison:
Compare a related bronze figure of a Tirthankara, India, South Deccan, 10th century, 11 cm high, in the Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford, accession number EA2013.84.
Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Bonhams Paris, 14 June 2022, lot 4
Price: EUR 35,655 or approx.
EUR 40,500 adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A gilt copper alloy figure of Rishabhanatha, South India, circa 9th century
Expert remark: Compare the closely related subject, manner of casting, and modeling. Note the gilding and similar size (7 cm).
Buyer's Premium
30%
