AN EXCEEDINGLY RARE MONUMENTAL WOOD FIGURE OF BUDDHA, PAGAN KINGDOM, 13TH-14TH CENTURY
AN EXCEEDINGLY RARE MONUMENTAL WOOD FIGURE OF BUDDHA, PAGAN KINGDOM, 13TH-14TH CENTURY
This lot is from a single owner collection and is therefore offered without reserve
The Jorgen Ruben Gallery Ledger, entry from 2005:
“No. 203, LA 1975, A. Maynard, Burma Pagan 11th c. wood crowned Buddha.”
Gallery price: EUR 27,000 or approx.
EUR 45,000 adjusted for inflation at the time of writing.
Expert's note: The tall finial above the crown and the almost vegetal ornamentation beside it follow a quite different idiom from the high style of Pagan and anticipate the Jambupati images, where the Buddha appears dressed in the ceremonial regalia of a contemporary local monarch. This iconography derives from a legend known in both Myanmar and Thailand, in which Jambupati, an Indian king who rejected the teachings of the Buddha, became overwhelmed by a display of extraordinary spiritual authority. By appearing in magnificent royal attire, the Buddha revealed a power surpassing all earthly sovereignty and ultimately brought about the conversion of the king.
Burma. Finely carved seated in dhyanasana on a double-lotus pedestal, the right hand extended in bhumisparsha mudra and the left resting in dhyana mudra above the lap. The figure clad in a closely fitted robe and adorned with a foliate necklace. The face in a serene expression with heavy-lidded downcast eyes, elegantly arched brows, a broad nose, and full lips forming a subtle smile, framed by long, pendulous earlobes. The hair arranged in a high chignon, surmounted by a tall lotus-bud finial behind a foliate crown, enriched with intricately carved ribbons of scrolling foliage and beaded ornamentation.
Provenance: Adrian Maynard, London, by 1975. 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: Very good condition with old wear, signs of weathering, expected age cracks, minor losses, remnants of black and gold lacquer. The wood with an attractive grain and a fine, naturally grown patina.
Weight: 44.1 kg
Dimensions: Height 129.2 cm
The Kingdom of Pagan was the first Burmese polity to unite the regions that later formed present-day Myanmar. During approximately 250 years of rule across the Irrawaddy Valley and surrounding territories, Pagan established the foundations for the rise of Burmese language and culture, the expansion of Bamar influence in Upper Myanmar, and the consolidation of Theravada Buddhism throughout Myanmar and mainland Southeast Asia. By the late twelfth century, Burmese linguistic and cultural traditions had become dominant in the upper Irrawaddy Valley, gradually superseding earlier Pyu, Mon, and Pali cultural norms.
Theravada Buddhism increasingly extended beyond court and monastic circles into village life during this period, although Tantric, Mahayana, Brahmanical, and animist practices remained deeply embedded across all levels of society. Rulers of Pagan sponsored an extensive program of religious construction, commissioning more than 10,000 Buddhist monuments within the Bagan Archaeological Zone, with more than 2,000 surviving today. Wealthy patrons endowed religious institutions with tax-exempt land, contributing to the accumulation of substantial monastic wealth. By the late thirteenth century, the growing concentration of tax-free religious estates weakened royal revenues and reduced the capacity of the crown to secure loyalty among court officials and military retainers. Together with internal instability and increasing external pressure from Arakanese, Mon, Mongol, and Shan groups, these developments accelerated the decline of the kingdom. A series of Mongol invasions between 1277 and 1301 ultimately brought an end to this long-established polity.
Literature comparison:
Compare a related gilt and lacquer wood figure of the standing crowned and jeweled Buddha, Burma, Pagan period, 12th-13th century, 197.5 cm high, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, object number 1992.382.
Auction result comparison:
Type: Related
Auction: Sotheby's New York, 20 September 2021, lot 373
Price: USD 63,000 or approx.
EUR 66,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A monumental lacquered and polychrome wood figure of Buddha, Burma, Pagan, circa 13th century
Expert remark: Compare the closely related modeling and manner of carving with similar crown, pectoral, and facial features. Note the size (156.5 cm).
Buyer's Premium
30%
Sale price
Estimate
Time, Location
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AN EXCEEDINGLY RARE MONUMENTAL WOOD FIGURE OF BUDDHA, PAGAN KINGDOM, 13TH-14TH CENTURY
This lot is from a single owner collection and is therefore offered without reserve
The Jorgen Ruben Gallery Ledger, entry from 2005:
“No. 203, LA 1975, A. Maynard, Burma Pagan 11th c. wood crowned Buddha.”
Gallery price: EUR 27,000 or approx.
EUR 45,000 adjusted for inflation at the time of writing.
Expert's note: The tall finial above the crown and the almost vegetal ornamentation beside it follow a quite different idiom from the high style of Pagan and anticipate the Jambupati images, where the Buddha appears dressed in the ceremonial regalia of a contemporary local monarch. This iconography derives from a legend known in both Myanmar and Thailand, in which Jambupati, an Indian king who rejected the teachings of the Buddha, became overwhelmed by a display of extraordinary spiritual authority. By appearing in magnificent royal attire, the Buddha revealed a power surpassing all earthly sovereignty and ultimately brought about the conversion of the king.
Burma. Finely carved seated in dhyanasana on a double-lotus pedestal, the right hand extended in bhumisparsha mudra and the left resting in dhyana mudra above the lap. The figure clad in a closely fitted robe and adorned with a foliate necklace. The face in a serene expression with heavy-lidded downcast eyes, elegantly arched brows, a broad nose, and full lips forming a subtle smile, framed by long, pendulous earlobes. The hair arranged in a high chignon, surmounted by a tall lotus-bud finial behind a foliate crown, enriched with intricately carved ribbons of scrolling foliage and beaded ornamentation.
Provenance: Adrian Maynard, London, by 1975. 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: Very good condition with old wear, signs of weathering, expected age cracks, minor losses, remnants of black and gold lacquer. The wood with an attractive grain and a fine, naturally grown patina.
Weight: 44.1 kg
Dimensions: Height 129.2 cm
The Kingdom of Pagan was the first Burmese polity to unite the regions that later formed present-day Myanmar. During approximately 250 years of rule across the Irrawaddy Valley and surrounding territories, Pagan established the foundations for the rise of Burmese language and culture, the expansion of Bamar influence in Upper Myanmar, and the consolidation of Theravada Buddhism throughout Myanmar and mainland Southeast Asia. By the late twelfth century, Burmese linguistic and cultural traditions had become dominant in the upper Irrawaddy Valley, gradually superseding earlier Pyu, Mon, and Pali cultural norms.
Theravada Buddhism increasingly extended beyond court and monastic circles into village life during this period, although Tantric, Mahayana, Brahmanical, and animist practices remained deeply embedded across all levels of society. Rulers of Pagan sponsored an extensive program of religious construction, commissioning more than 10,000 Buddhist monuments within the Bagan Archaeological Zone, with more than 2,000 surviving today. Wealthy patrons endowed religious institutions with tax-exempt land, contributing to the accumulation of substantial monastic wealth. By the late thirteenth century, the growing concentration of tax-free religious estates weakened royal revenues and reduced the capacity of the crown to secure loyalty among court officials and military retainers. Together with internal instability and increasing external pressure from Arakanese, Mon, Mongol, and Shan groups, these developments accelerated the decline of the kingdom. A series of Mongol invasions between 1277 and 1301 ultimately brought an end to this long-established polity.
Literature comparison:
Compare a related gilt and lacquer wood figure of the standing crowned and jeweled Buddha, Burma, Pagan period, 12th-13th century, 197.5 cm high, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, object number 1992.382.
Auction result comparison:
Type: Related
Auction: Sotheby's New York, 20 September 2021, lot 373
Price: USD 63,000 or approx.
EUR 66,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A monumental lacquered and polychrome wood figure of Buddha, Burma, Pagan, circa 13th century
Expert remark: Compare the closely related modeling and manner of carving with similar crown, pectoral, and facial features. Note the size (156.5 cm).
Buyer's Premium
30%
Sale price
Estimate
Time, Location
Auction House
