 SEATED BUDDHA Current and Past Exhibitions
Catalogue no. 45.SEATED BUDDHA.LAOS, PROBABLY FROM UDOMXAI PROVINCE, NORTH OF LUANG PRABANG.SECOND HALF OF THE 19TH CENTURY.H. (INCLUDING FINIAL). 47 CMS, 18 ½ INS .A highly unusual polychromed wood figure of the Buddha, seated in dhyanamudra on a raised lotus pedestal, the face meditative and serene beneath a raised chignon rising to an eight-sided lotiform usnisha; the facial details carefully delineated in black, red and flesh-coloured pigments, wearing a sanghati with simple pleats and a long, central sash falling to the waist.The careful manner in which this sculpture has been decorated, not unlike Sri Lankan Buddhas of the period, with multiple layers of paint, suggests that it might once have been a treasured image in a family shrine. Another image, offered as catalogue no. 15, was almost certainly created and decorated by the same hand. For a related example from Vientiane - albeit lacking its elaborate decoration - please see pages 243 (top left) in S. Lopetcharat, Lao Buddha: The Image and Its History, Bangkok: Siam International Book Company, 2000.
|  Seated Avalokitesvara
Seated Avalokitesvara.Vietnam, Cham period.Dong Duong style.9th- 10th century. H. 66 cm, 26 ins; W. 50 cm, 19 ¾ ins; D: 26 cm, 10 ¼ ins. A dynamic, delicately carved sandstone figure of a four-armed Avalokitesvara; seated in a relaxed posture atop a tiered base and holding his various attributes, comprising the lotus flower, a bowl of nectar, a sword and scriptures.This unusual figure embodies the aesthetic characteristics of the Dong Duong period; namely soft contours, exaggerated features and a calm facial expression. Avalokitesvara’s calm expression is in fact an allusion to the Mahayana Buddhist teachings that became popular during the Dong Duong period. The production of Avalokitesvara images was prolific during this time period because of his importance within the Mahayana pantheon.For two related sculptures, please see plates 50 and 54, La Statuaire Du Champa: Recherches Sur Les Cultes et l’Iconographie, Paris: École Française d’Extrême-Orient, 1963. The same figures are illustrated as plates 42 and 43 in Cham Art: Treasures from the Da Nang Museum, Bangkok: River Books, 2001.PROVENANCE:English private collection.
|  SCHIST FIGURE OF THE BODHISATTVA PADMAPANI Current and Past Exhibitions
Catalogue no. 38.SCHIST FIGURE OF THE BODHISATTVA PADMAPANI.NORTHWEST PAKISTAN.GANDHARA.CIRCA 5TH CENTURY. H. 7.5 CMS, 3 INS.A finely detailed, polished brown schist figure of the Bodhisattva Padmapani, his left hand holding a long lotus-stem, wearing a bow-shaped diadem, a pleated ankle-length sanghati and elaborate jewellery.Whilst Gandharan Bodhisattva images are well known, the specifically identified Avalokitesvara did not emerge until around the 5th century, recognised by the lotus he holds and by the image of Amitabha Buddha in his headdress. Here, a princely diadem is worn, continuing the existing Gandharan tradition, indicating that this small image dates from the early development of Avalokitesvara’s iconography. Coming from a region associated with trade and travel, this piece would probably have been part of a portable shrine.For a larger figure of Padmapani from the Swat Valley with similar iconography, please see no. 7 in M. Ashraf Khan, Gandhara Sculptures in the Swat Museum. Saidu Sharif, 1993.
|  SCHIST BUDDHA RELIEF Current and Past Exhibitions
CATALOGUE no. 6.SCHIST BUDDHA RELIEF.NORTHWEST PAKISTAN OR AFGHANISTAN.GANDHARA.HADDA STYLE.4TH - 5TH CENTURY.H. 41 CMS, 16 INS. A grey schist relief with a bust of the Buddha standing beneath a Bodhi tree with his right hand raised in abhayamudra (the gesture of dispelling fear); a jewelled and moustached attendant with an elaborate turban (probably Indra), standing to the right with his hands raised in supplication.This relief probably depicts the episode from the Buddha’s life known as the ‘Entreaty to Preach the Doctrine’. After the visit of the two merchants Trapusa and Bhallika (see catalogue no. 4), the Buddha, thinking the Doctrine too profound, hesitates to disseminate it. Brahma, Indra , the four maharajas or lokapalas (‘guardians or lords of the cardinal points’) and other gods of various heavens visit him as he sits beneath the Bodhi tree and implore him to propagate the Doctrine. For four related friezes please see plates 193 to 196 in W. Zwalf, A Catalogue of the Gandhara Sculpture in the British Museum. London: British Museum Press, 1996.
|  Sandstone head of a lion
A yellow sandstone head of a lion.Height: 8 ins, 20 cm.Central India, Madhya Pradesh, 10th/11th century.
|  Sandstone head of a Jain Tirthankara (Jina). Current and Past Exhibitions
5. Sandstone head of a Jain Tirthankara (Jina). Northern India, Probably Uttar Pradesh.10th - 11th century.H. 15 cms, 6 ins.An exquisite pale buff sandstone head of a Jain Tirthankara (Jina), sensitively modelled with a benign, tranquil expression beneath bow-shaped brows. The principal Jain pantheon consists of twenty-four Tirthankaras (or saviours), the first being Rishabhanatha and the last Mahavira. A Tirthankara, or Jina has successfully passed through all the cycles of rebirth to create a passage for believers. Mahavira (c. 599-527 BC) was a historical figure and a near contemporary of the Buddha. For a comparable head, see fig. 53 in J. C. Harle and A. Topsfield, Indian Art in the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, 1987.
|  SANDSTONE HEAD OF A FEMALE DEITY Current and Past Exhibitions
Catalogue no. 36.SANDSTONE HEAD OF A FEMALE DEITY.NORTHERN PAKISTAN OR KASHMIR? POST-GANDHARA.CIRCA 6TH CENTURY.H. 15 CMS, 5 7/8 INS. A placid, smiling sandstone head of a female deity, with a full, rounded face and eyes wide open beneath deeply arched brows and a luxuriant, pleated diadem. In the period following the decline of Gandhara its artistic heritage survived, with adaptations, in the surrounding regions. As Hellenistic influence waned ornate headdresses, reflecting both late Sassanian and Chinese tastes, replaced the elaborate coiffures of Gandharan female images. At the same time, developments in Mahayana Buddhism introduced goddesses and female Bodhisattvas into the Buddhist realm.This delightful head, from a Scottish castle collection, is apparently from a stone frieze. The heavy looking diadem is filled with a hood formed of rich folds of cloth. The warmth of expression, along with the full cheeks and strongly defined eyebrows suggest Gupta influence whilst the finely detailed mouth and eyes recall 6th century terracottas found at Ushkur and Akhnur in southern Kashmir.
|  SANDSTONE HANDS OF A DEITY Current and Past Exhibitions
No. 23(LEFT). LARGE BRONZE HAND OF BUDDHA .THAILAND, SUKHOTHAI PERIOD, 14TH CENTURY.L. 25 CMS, 10 INS.Reference: see nos. 58a and b in T. Bowie (ed.), The Sculpture of Thailand, Exhibition catalogue, New York: Asia Society, 1972.SOLDNo. 24 (CENTRE).SANDSTONE HAND OF A DEITY, POSSIBLY PRAJNAPARAMITA, HOLDING A LOTUS.KHMER, ANGKOR PERIOD, BAYON STYLE, LATE 12TH – EARLY 13TH CENTURY.L. 19 CMS, 7 ½ INS.No. 25(RIGHT). BRONZE HAND OF A MALE DEITY.SOLD.PROVENANCE (ALL THREE): Property of a private Japanese collector.
|  SANDSTONE FIGURE OF VISHNU Current and Past Exhibitions
No. 9.SANDSTONE FIGURE OF VISHNU.KHMER, PRE-ANGKOR PERIOD, PHNOM DA STYLE, 6TH - 7TH CENTURY.H. 28.5 CMS, 11 ¼ INS.A grey sandstone figure of a four-armed Vishnu, the face broad and imposing beneath a mitre headdress, the upper left hand holding a conch and the upper right a chakra, the belt and pleats of the knee-length sampot delineated by shallow, incised lines.Note: The cross-bar behind the head has been repaired.For a related figure of a Phnom Da Vishnu in the Phnom Penh Museum, see plate 84 in M. Girard-Geslan et al, Art of Southeast Asia, New York: Harry N. Abrams Inc, 1998.PROVENANCE: Property of a private Japanese collector.
|  SANDSTONE BUST OF A FEMALE DEITY Current and Past Exhibitions
Catalogue no. 20.SANDSTONE BUST OF A FEMALE DEITY.NORTHERN INDIA.PROBABLY FROM GWALIOR, MADHYA PRADESH.POST GUPTA PERIOD.CIRCA 7TH CENTURY. H. 33 CMS, 13 INS.A voluptuous, reddish-brown sandstone bust of female deity with a sweeping piled up coiffure secured by an elaborate diadem, wearing extensive jewellery; the facing smiling and serene beneath arched brows. For a closely related female bust from Gwalior, in the National Museum, New Delhi, see plate 127 in C. Sivaramamurti, The Art of India, New York: Harry N. Abrams inc, 1977. For a second figure from Bihar, in the L.A. County Museum of Art, identified as the Jain yakshi Ambika or the Hindu goddess Durga (also sometimes known as Ambika), see no. 20 in P. Pal, The Sensuous Immortals: A Selection of Sculptures from the Pan-Asian Collection, L.A. County Museum of Art, 1977. Ambika is worshipped on behalf of mothers and children and is frequently depicted seated with her child beneath a mango tree, her vehicle (the lion) at her feet.PROVENANCE:Private English collection since around 1967.
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