A SUPERB AND VERY LARGE (50 CM) BRONZE FIGURE OF THE GOLD-LIPPED MAITREYA, SRIVIJAYA KINGDOM, 9TH
A SUPERB AND VERY LARGE (50 CM) BRONZE FIGURE OF THE GOLD-LIPPED MAITREYA, SRIVIJAYA KINGDOM, 9TH CENTURY
Scientific Analysis Report: A physical-chemical study of the present lot has been performed by Adamantio srl, an Academic Spin-Off of the University of Turin, based on two samples taken on 11 October 2023, using electron microscope images and SEM scanning coupled with EDSa microprobe analyses, with the result consistent with the dating above. A copy of the detailed technical report, dated 16 November 2023, no. 58/2023, accompanies this lot.
Expert's note
Few Srivijaya bronzes possess the commanding presence and consummate refinement of the present figure. Its sculptural power is matched by a remarkable subtlety of finish,
reaching its apogee in the delicate application of gold to the lips. This minute yet arresting accent draws the entire composition toward Maitreya's gentle smile, which seems to glow with an almost supernatural radiance against the dark bronze. More than a sumptuous ornament, the gilding transforms the face into the spiritual focus of the sculpture and marks this majestic image as a work of singular beauty and importance. No other recorded Srivijaya bronze displays an equivalent treatment. There is however a Javanese example from the same period, namely the celebrated Shiva Mahadeva Statue discovered in 1933 by local people from the Wadas River area in Tegal, Central Java, and now in the Museum Nasional Indonesia, Jakarta.
Indonesia, Sumatra. Heavily and powerfully cast, the Future Buddha stands in slight tribhanga atop a square base, his four hands held in vitarka mudra with the primary lower arms thrust forward and the secondary hands raised toward his broad shoulders. Maitreya is dressed in a long sampot with neatly carved fishtail pleats and secured by a belt with a floral clasp.
His face with a serene expression marked by heavy-lidded eyes, elegantly arched brows, and full smiling lips highlighted in gilt, flanked by long pendulous lobes adorned with floral earrings. The hair is arranged in a tall jatamukuta with towering locks centered by a stupa, with further tresses falling below the neck and terminating in curls, with longer locks elegantly draping onto the shoulders.
Provenance: An important private collection in London, United Kingdom. European private collection, acquired from the above.
Condition: Excellent condition with expected wear, casting irregularities, signs of weathering, minor nicks, the hands possibly with minor old repairs. The bronze with a rich, naturally grown patina.
Weight: 8.5 kg (excl. stand), 10.4 kg (incl. stand)
Dimensions: Height 44.5 cm (excl. tang), 49.8 cm (excl. stand, incl. tang), 56.2 cm (incl. stand)
With a modern stand. (2)
Srivijaya was a Buddhist thalassocrat empire based on the island of Sumatra (in modern-day Indonesia), which influenced much of Southeast Asia and was an important center for the expansion of Buddhism from the 7th to the 12th century AD. It also was the first unified kingdom to dominate much of the Malay Archipelago. Due to its location, the powerful state over time developed more and more complex technology utilizing maritime resources. The rise of the Srivijayan Empire was therefore also parallel to the end of the Malay seafaring period.
Literature comparison:
Compare a related bronze figure of Maitreya, discovered in Komering, Palembang, South Sumatra, Indonesia, dated 9th-10th century, in the collection of the National Museum of Indonesia, Jakarta, inventory number 6025. Compare a related smaller bronze figure of a four-armed Avalokiteshvara from peninsular Thailand, dated 7th-8th century, 25.2 cm tall, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, object number 1978.407. Compare a related bronze figure of the four-armed Avalokiteshvara from Southern Thailand or Sumatra, dated 8th-9th century, 56.6 cm tall, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, object number 1982.64. Compare a related smaller leaded bronze figure of Avalokiteshvara from Sumatra, dated approx. 600-800, 21.6 cm high, in the Asian Art Museum, San Francisco, object number B65B58.
Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Zacke, Vienna, 11 April 2024, lot 204
Price: EUR 40,040 or approx.
EUR 43,000 adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A rare bronze figure of Maitreya, Srivijaya, 7th century
Expert remark: Compare the similar subject, facial features, and details of the crown. Note the size (39 cm) and earlier dating.
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A SUPERB AND VERY LARGE (50 CM) BRONZE FIGURE OF THE GOLD-LIPPED MAITREYA, SRIVIJAYA KINGDOM, 9TH CENTURY
Scientific Analysis Report: A physical-chemical study of the present lot has been performed by Adamantio srl, an Academic Spin-Off of the University of Turin, based on two samples taken on 11 October 2023, using electron microscope images and SEM scanning coupled with EDSa microprobe analyses, with the result consistent with the dating above. A copy of the detailed technical report, dated 16 November 2023, no. 58/2023, accompanies this lot.
Expert's note
Few Srivijaya bronzes possess the commanding presence and consummate refinement of the present figure. Its sculptural power is matched by a remarkable subtlety of finish,
reaching its apogee in the delicate application of gold to the lips. This minute yet arresting accent draws the entire composition toward Maitreya's gentle smile, which seems to glow with an almost supernatural radiance against the dark bronze. More than a sumptuous ornament, the gilding transforms the face into the spiritual focus of the sculpture and marks this majestic image as a work of singular beauty and importance. No other recorded Srivijaya bronze displays an equivalent treatment. There is however a Javanese example from the same period, namely the celebrated Shiva Mahadeva Statue discovered in 1933 by local people from the Wadas River area in Tegal, Central Java, and now in the Museum Nasional Indonesia, Jakarta.
Indonesia, Sumatra. Heavily and powerfully cast, the Future Buddha stands in slight tribhanga atop a square base, his four hands held in vitarka mudra with the primary lower arms thrust forward and the secondary hands raised toward his broad shoulders. Maitreya is dressed in a long sampot with neatly carved fishtail pleats and secured by a belt with a floral clasp.
His face with a serene expression marked by heavy-lidded eyes, elegantly arched brows, and full smiling lips highlighted in gilt, flanked by long pendulous lobes adorned with floral earrings. The hair is arranged in a tall jatamukuta with towering locks centered by a stupa, with further tresses falling below the neck and terminating in curls, with longer locks elegantly draping onto the shoulders.
Provenance: An important private collection in London, United Kingdom. European private collection, acquired from the above.
Condition: Excellent condition with expected wear, casting irregularities, signs of weathering, minor nicks, the hands possibly with minor old repairs. The bronze with a rich, naturally grown patina.
Weight: 8.5 kg (excl. stand), 10.4 kg (incl. stand)
Dimensions: Height 44.5 cm (excl. tang), 49.8 cm (excl. stand, incl. tang), 56.2 cm (incl. stand)
With a modern stand. (2)
Srivijaya was a Buddhist thalassocrat empire based on the island of Sumatra (in modern-day Indonesia), which influenced much of Southeast Asia and was an important center for the expansion of Buddhism from the 7th to the 12th century AD. It also was the first unified kingdom to dominate much of the Malay Archipelago. Due to its location, the powerful state over time developed more and more complex technology utilizing maritime resources. The rise of the Srivijayan Empire was therefore also parallel to the end of the Malay seafaring period.
Literature comparison:
Compare a related bronze figure of Maitreya, discovered in Komering, Palembang, South Sumatra, Indonesia, dated 9th-10th century, in the collection of the National Museum of Indonesia, Jakarta, inventory number 6025. Compare a related smaller bronze figure of a four-armed Avalokiteshvara from peninsular Thailand, dated 7th-8th century, 25.2 cm tall, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, object number 1978.407. Compare a related bronze figure of the four-armed Avalokiteshvara from Southern Thailand or Sumatra, dated 8th-9th century, 56.6 cm tall, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, object number 1982.64. Compare a related smaller leaded bronze figure of Avalokiteshvara from Sumatra, dated approx. 600-800, 21.6 cm high, in the Asian Art Museum, San Francisco, object number B65B58.
Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Zacke, Vienna, 11 April 2024, lot 204
Price: EUR 40,040 or approx.
EUR 43,000 adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A rare bronze figure of Maitreya, Srivijaya, 7th century
Expert remark: Compare the similar subject, facial features, and details of the crown. Note the size (39 cm) and earlier dating.
Buyer's Premium
30%
Sale price
Estimate
Time, Location
Auction House
