 WALKING BUDDHA Current and Past Exhibitions
Catalogue no. 41.WALKING BUDDHA.LAOS, LUANG PRABANG AREA.SECOND HALF OF THE 19TH CENTURY.H. (INCLUDING BASE) 144.8 CMS, 57 INS.H. (BUDDHA ONLY) 108 CMS, 42 ½ INS.A gilded and black lacquered Buddha of slender form standing on an hourglass shaped base, the left hand raised in abhayamudra and the right pendant by his side, his face tranquil beneath a raised chignon ascending to a flame finial with lotus petals around its base.The fully in-the-round walking Buddha originated in Sukhothai, Central Thailand, in the 14th century, probably deriving from 12th century bas-reliefs at Pagan, Burma and in Sri Lanka. It is said to represent the Buddha Sakyamuni in the third week following his Enlightenment, when he walked back and forth planning his future, but another interpretation is that it represents his descent from the Tavatimsha Heaven, to which he had risen in order to preach to his mother. For a Sukothai prototype walking Buddha, see cat. no. 59 in H.W. Woodward, The Sacred Sculpture of Thailand: The Alexander B. Griswold Collection, Baltimore: Walters Art Gallery, 1997. For an example of a walking Buddha from Laos, see page 228 in S. Lopetcharat, Lao Buddha: The Image and Its History, Bangkok: Siam International Book Company, 2000.
|  VOLCANIC ANDESITE FIGURE OF GANESHA Current and Past Exhibitions
Catalogue no. 11.VOLCANIC ANDESITE FIGURE OF GANESHA.EASTERN JAVA.EARLY PERIOD.10TH - 11TH CENTURY.. H. 69 CMS, 27 INS.A large volcanic andesite figure of Ganesha seated on a cushion (asana) of skulls, his feet pressed together, holding a bowl of sweetmeats in his left hand and a skullcap in his right; wearing a thick diagonal upavita (sacred thread) and extensive jewellery including basubands, bracelets and belts, with matted hair and an intricate headdress surmounted by a further skull.Images of Ganesha in Indonesian art are characterized by many of the same attributes as those of his father, Siva. These include a crown of matted hair, a skull (sometimes with a crescent moon), and a sacred thread (upavita) in the form of a serpent. For a related example, see p. 335 no. 5 in Edi Sedyawati, Ganesha Statuary of the Kadiri and Sinhasari periods, Leiden, 1994.PROVENANCE: Private collection, U.K.
|  UNGLAZED POTTERY EARTH SPIRIT Current and Past Exhibitions
Catalogue no. 12.UNGLAZED POTTERY EARTH SPIRITCHINATANG DYNASTY, 618 – 907H. 54 CMS, 21 INSA dynamic, unglazed pottery earth spirit, superbly carved in a rampant posture of defiance, with his right hand raised and his left grappling with a poisonous toad, the ferocious looking guardian beast sporting long flame like spikes all along its spine rising above a face with bulging eyes and curly beard, its muscular body and legs suppressing the movement of a supine boar at his feet, the whole group resting on a rock said to represent the Buddhist celestial mountain, Mount Sumeru, finely painted pigments to the chest and lower body in the form of large leafy white flowerheads remaining. Earth spirits were placed in pairs inside the entrance of a tomb acting as guardian beasts. Early, Sui dynasty examples were simply modelled but by the 8th century of the Tang dynasty, as is seen here, the expressions and accoutrements had become more exaggerated. For a closely related example see page 53, plate 42, J. Baker, Seeking Immortality, Santa Ana, California, 1996. See also number 152 in Selected Tang Tomb Figurines Excavated in Shaanxi Province, Beijing, 1958. Age verified by Oxford thermoluminescence test.
|  TWO STANDING BUDDHAS Current and Past Exhibitions
1 and 2 TWO STANDING BUDDHAS. LAOS, FROM THE VICINITY OF LUANG PRABANG.SECOND HALF OF THE 19TH CENTURY.H. (INCLUDING FINIALS): 83 CMS, 32 ¾ INS (LEFT)AND 82 CMS, 32 ¼ INS (RIGHT).Two gilded and lacquered wood figures of standing Buddhas on high pedestals, their raised usnishas topped by flame finials, with eyes half-closed in meditation and faces gentle and serene; the left one standing in double abhayamudra and the right with hands crossed in front of his chest in the gesture of ‘reflection’. Laotian sculpture is rare, especially when crafted in friable materials like wood, which often falls victim to humidity or to insects. The Laotian kingdom of Lan Xang or Lan Chang was established during the 14th century and ruled by Thais. Its northern capital of Luang Prabang was subjected to cultural influences from the northern Thai city of Chiang Mai, while its southern capital, Vientiane, absorbed Khmer and Ayutthaya (Thai) motifs. Among the four thousand Buddha images left by worshippers at the Pak Ou (Tam Ting) Caves, near Luang Prabang, are many examples of this type. For two related examples, please see pages 246 and 248 in S. Lopetcharat, Lao Buddha: The Image and Its History, Bangkok: Siam International Book Company, 2000. For more on the Pak Ou caves, see page 33 in D. Heywood, Ancient Luang Prabang, Bangkok: River Books, 2006.RIGHT HAND FIGURE IS SOLD.
|  TERRACOTTA HEAD OF A BODHISATTVA Current and Past Exhibitions
28 TERRACOTTA HEAD OF A BODHISATTVA. NORTHWEST PAKISTAN OR AFGHANISTAN.GANDHARA, 4TH - 5TH CENTURY AD.HADDA STYLE. H. 18.5 CMS, 7 ¼ INS. A delightful terracotta head of a Bodhisattva wearing an elaborate diadem with pentagonal designs representing gold repoussé plaques above a braided band; the hair in wavy lines, the face well-proportioned and the eyes cast down in meditation, a well-formed nose above a sensitive mouth. The use of stucco and terracotta as a substitute for the grey schist of many early Gandhara sculptures led to a greater freedom of expression and innovation. For a similar terracotta head from the Robert Ellsworth collection please see fig. 199 in Deborah E. Klimburg-Salter, Buddha in Indien, Vienna: Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien, 1995. For a terracotta Bodhisattva head with similar repoussé plaques, see catalogue no. 15 in Treasures from the Silk Road: Devotion, Conquest and Trade along Asia’s highways, Spink, 1999.
|  STUCCO HEAD OF A WOMAN AND STUCCO HEAD OF BUDDHA Current and Past Exhibitions
No. 16(LEFT).STUCCO HEAD OF A WOMAN.THAILAND, MON-DVARAVATI PERIOD, 7TH - 8TH CENTURY.H. 18.5 CMS, 7 ¼ INS.No. 16 (RIGHT).STUCCO HEAD OF BUDDHA.THAILAND, SUKHOTHAI PERIOD, 14TH CENTURY.H. 13 CMS, 5 INS.PROVENANCE (BOTH): Property of a private Japanese collector.
|  STANDING LIMESTONE BUDDHA Current and Past Exhibitions
11 STANDING LIMESTONE BUDDHA. CHINA, SHANDONG PROVINCE.NORTHERN QI DYNASTY, 550-557 AD.H. 127 CMS, 50 INS.An exceptional white limestone figure of Buddha standing on a lotus pedestal with his right hand raised in abhayamudra and his left lowered in varadamudra, carved in the round with a raised usnisha and elongated earlobes, the face serene with eyes cast downwards in meditation, the corners of the lips drawn up into a faint smile, the expression benevolent and tranquil; the sanghati covering both shoulders with a broad collar and descending to a double-hem, the surface of the stone with extensive pigmentation, gilding and plant residue.The celebrated Qingzhou hoard, a large group of Buddhist statues of exceptional quality, was accidentally unearthed in 1996 by workers levelling a school sports field in Qingzhou, a small city in Shandong Province on China's northeast coast. Created during a 50-year period spanning the Northern Wei (386–534), Eastern Wei (534–550) and the Northern Qi (550–577) dynasties, the sculptures illustrate the dramatic stylistic changes that occurred during that time. The unusual quantity of remaining gilding and vibrant red, green and other pigments on their surfaces provide an opportunity for the viewer to experience the impact of brightly decorated sculpture - the norm in ancient China. Note: The stone colour, patination, plant residue and pigments are identical on both the main figure and the lotus pedestal; evidence that both parts of the sculpture belong together. There are also extensive traces of a painted monk’s robe on both the front and back of this sculpture.For a similar example from the Qingzhou horde, please see no. 17 in the exhibition catalogue for Royal Academy of Arts, Return of the Buddha: The Qingzhou Discoveries, 2002. Provenance: Private Scottish collection.
|  Standing Buddha Current and Past Exhibitions
16 STANDING BUDDHA.THAILAND.AYUTTHAYA PERIOD.17TH CENTURY.H. 87.5 CMS, 34 1/2 INS. A slender, elegant bronze figure of Buddha, standing with his feet slightly apart on a tiered pedestal inlaid with glass, his right hand raised in abhayamudra and the left pendant by his side, the face placid and smiling beneath a domed chignon rising to a tall flame finial; the sanghati with a broad belt and a central fold between the legs, covering both shoulders and descending to points at the hem, the image covered throughout by a thick layer of gilding.This captivating figure was created during the period of Thailand’s Ayutthaya Kingdom. The kingdom of Ayutthaya, established by King U Thong in 1350 in the Chao Phraya River basin to the north of Bangkok was, until the Burmese attacked and burned its capital in 1767, one of the richest and most enduring sovereignties of Southeast Asia, attracting innumerable merchants and other visitors, not only from neighbouring Asian countries but also from Europe as well. This image is covered with multiple layers of gold leaf, a practice that still continues during worship in Thai temples. The pedestal on which it stands is contemporary with the piece and is firmly attached to the figure. Elaborate pedestals of this type are often mistakenly attributed to the 19th century Ratanakosin period - in fact they first appear in the 17th century: see cat. no. 48 in F. McGill et al, The Kingdom of Siam: The Art of Central Thailand, San Francisco: Asian Art Museum, 2005. The Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg has a similar figure – see no. 48 in State Hermitage Museum, Siamese Art of the 14th-19th centuries in the Hermitage, St Petersburg, 1997.
|  STANDING BUDDHA Current and Past Exhibitions
22 STANDING BUDDHA.NORTHWEST PAKISTAN .PROBABLY FROM THE SAHRI BAHLOL -TAKHT I BAHI AREA .GANDHARA.2ND - 3RD CENTURY AD.H. 66 CMS, 26 INS.An exquisitely sculpted grey schist figure of Buddha standing with his legs slightly apart upon a pedestal decorated with lotuses; his right hand raised in abhayamudra and the left holding a fold of his robe, the hair emanating in symmetrical waves from a point above the forehead, the face tranquil with a beatific smile, a circular nimbus behind. Large, frontal Buddha images like this are modelled upon Greco-Roman ideals and were placed in shrines, niches and courtyards of monasteries (viharas). For examples of similar standing Buddhas with lotus-decorated pedestals, please see nos. 201, 219, 221 and 222 in Isao Kurita, Gandharan Art II: The Buddha’s Life Story, Tokyo: Nigensha publishing, 2003.
|  STANDING BUDDHA Current and Past Exhibitions
5 STANDING BUDDHA.THAILAND.AYUTTHAYA PERIOD.16TH - 17TH CENTURY.H. 130 CMS, 51 INS. A magnificent carved, lacquered and gilded wooden figure of Buddha, his face placid and reflective beneath a domed chignon rising to the remains of a flame finial; his arms extended to hold an alms bowl and his sanghati flaring and covering both shoulders with a broad belt and a central fold between the legs, with an extensive covering of gilding and black lacquer throughout.This blissful, perfectly proportioned figure was sculpted during the middle part of Thailand’s Ayutthaya kingdom. For a brief history of Ayutthaya please see the entry for catalogue no. 16.For a similar large wooden figure in the renowned Jim Thompson collection, please see plate no. 71 in W. Warren and B. Brake, The House on the Klong: The Bangkok Home and Asian Art Collection of James Thompson, New York and Tokyo: Walker/Weatherhill, 1968.
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