Mark Rasmussen
International Director
Lot 617
A GILT COPPER ALLOY FIGURE OF BUDDHA NEPAL, 14TH CENTURY
23 September 2020, 15:00 EDT
New YorkSold for US$37,575 inc. premium
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A GILT COPPER ALLOY FIGURE OF BUDDHA
NEPAL, 14TH CENTURY
Himalayan Art Resources item no.16814
5 1/8 in. (13 cm) high
Himalayan Art Resources item no.16814
5 1/8 in. (13 cm) high
Footnotes
尼泊爾 十四世紀 銅鎏金佛陀像
This finely-detailed gilt bronze bears the hallmarks of Nepalese craftsmanship in the figure's robust frame and broad features, his rounded ushnisha and lotus bud finial, and the rice grain-patterned hems of his robe. These hems have prominent borders consisting of large, raised beads, drawing attention to them. In a very rare feature, Shakyamuni has been clearly granted a fine, wavy incised mustache.
A very closely related example attributed to a Nepalese school working in Tibet is published in von Schroeder, Buddhist Sculpture in Tibet, Vol. II, Hong Kong, 2001, pp.962-3, no.231C. Its multi-tiered lotus base with tapered foot and double upper rims is almost identical with the present bronze. So are the well-articulated fingers and toes, the tightly-fitted robes, and exceptionally broad shoulders.
Provenance
Swiss Private Collection since 2007