A LARGE BRONZE HEAD OF BUDDHA, SUKHOTHAI PERIOD, KAMPHAENG PHET STYLE, 15TH CENTURY

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A LARGE BRONZE HEAD OF BUDDHA, SUKHOTHAI PERIOD, KAMPHAENG PHET STYLE, 15TH CENTURY This lot is from a single owner collection and is therefore offered without reserve The Jorgen Ruben Gallery Ledger, entry from 2012: “No. 721, Thai, Kamphaeng Phet bronze head of Buddha, 15th c., H.: 33 cm, Prov.: UK Coll. D. Rose 1980, DK 1985” Gallery price: EUR 27,000 or approx. EUR 38,500 adjusted for inflation at the time of writing. Expert’s note: Thai bronzes of this size and preservation are exceptionally rare, particularly those that are over 500 years old. It is challenging to imagine the immense scale of the complete sculpture to which this head belonged. If seated, the figure would probably have been around 135 cm high, standing at well over 2 meters tall. Only a few works of similar magnitude have endured the test of time. Despite centuries passing, it has retained all its spirit, a near-magical presence, a sense of tranquility, and, above all, its ability to inspire. Thailand. Buddha’s slightly elongated oval face with outlined smiling lips, aquiline nose, neatly incised heavy-lidded downcast eyes below finely arched eyebrows in relief, his ears with extended pierced earlobes, the hair arranged in rows of snail-shell curls, surmounted by a gently domed ushnisha. The bronze heavily cast and with a rich naturally grown patina, showing distinct malachite encrustations. Important Note: For essential information on the Jorgen Ruben Gallery Ledger and provenance documentation please visit here: www.zacke.at/rubencollection_ledger Dimensions: Height 33 cm (excl. stand), 53 cm (incl. stand) This large and imposing head of Buddha is rendered in the Kamphaeng Phet style, which echoes that of neighboring Sukhothai, but with subtle differences, such as sharper overall facial features and eyebrows that form a continuous line above the bridge of the nose. In this example, superior quality is evinced in the meticulous execution of the curving lines of the barely-parted eyelids and thin but fleshy lips. Literally meaning, 'diamond wall', Kamphaeng Phet was a walled city of pivotal economic and military importance. Founded by the Sukhothai King Li Thai (c.1346-1374) in the mid-14th century, it was ideally situated for river trade with Southern Burma, the Lan Na kingdom, and the Chao Phraya basin of Central Thailand. Later absorbed into the Ayutthaya Kingdom it served as a crucial fortress and strategic buffer in stymieing Burmese advances on the Ayutthayan capital during the Burmese-Siamese wars (16th-19th centuries). Expert’s note: "Though [Kamphaeng Phet] was by this time part of the kingdom of Ayudhya, many of its artists carried on the traditions of Sukhodaya which had been handed down to them by their teachers. In most respects [the style] would be difficult to distinguish from the contemporaneous work of Sukhodaya itself, through the shape of the face, narrowing downwards markedly from the broad foreheads, is said to be typical..." (Theodore Bowie (ed.), The Sculpture of Thailand, Asia House, New York, 1972, p. 106.) Auction result comparison: Type: Closely related Auction: Bonhams New York, 17 September 2014, lot 176 Price: USD 27,500 or approx. EUR 33,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing Expert remark: Compare the closely related manner of casting and modeling. Note the size (38.1 cm). Auction result comparison: Type: Closely related Auction: Christie’s New York, 23 September 2004, lot 72 Price: USD 23,900 or approx. EUR 36,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing Expert remark: Compare the closely related manner of casting and modeling. Note the size (40.6 cm). Auction result comparison: Type: Closely related Auction: Bonhams Paris, 25 October 2022, lot 83 Price: EUR 176,775 or approx. EUR 196,000 adjusted for inflation at the time of writing Expert remark: Compare the closely related manner of casting and modeling. Note the size (43 cm).

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