Dora Tan
Head of Sale, Specialist
Lot 1039
A LAPIS LAZULI CARVING OF A BUDDHA SRI LANKA, EARLY ANURADHAPURA PERIOD, CIRCA 5TH CENTURY
2 December 2021, 19:00 HKT
Hong Kong, Six Pacific PlaceHK$400,000 - HK$500,000
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Mark Rasmussen
International Director
A LAPIS LAZULI CARVING OF A BUDDHA
SRI LANKA, EARLY ANURADHAPURA PERIOD, CIRCA 5TH CENTURY
6 cm (2 3/8 in.) high
6 cm (2 3/8 in.) high
Footnotes
斯里蘭卡 阿努拉德普勒早期 約五世紀 青金石佛陀像
In Buddhist material culture, lapis lazuli is revered as one of the 'seven treasures' (saptaratna) discussed in Mahayana sutras. This lapidary figure depicts Buddha seated in samadhi, a deep meditative state. Diminutive in scale, though not in character, his broad shoulders and physiognomy exude a powerful presence. The long fingers and the absence of an ushnisha are customary in Buddha images of Sri Lanka's Early Anuradhapura Period (377 BCE - 463 CE). The carving is redolent of a 5th-century limestone statue of Samadhi Buddha, preserved at Mahamevnawa Park in Anuradhapura. Further stylistic comparisons are published in: von Schroeder, Golden Age of Sculpture in Sri Lanka, 1992, p.38 no.7; Guy, Lost Kingdoms, 2014, p.9, fig.9; Lerner & Kossak, The Lotus Transcendent, 1991, p.136, nos.106 & 107.
Provenance:
Private Collection, United Kingdom