A LARGE AND MAGNIFICENT GILT BRONZE FIGURE OF BUDDHA MARAVIJAYA, SUKHOTHAI KINGDOM, 15TH CENTURY

拍品描述

A LARGE AND MAGNIFICENT GILT BRONZE FIGURE OF BUDDHA MARAVIJAYA, SUKHOTHAI KINGDOM, 15TH CENTURY This lot is from a single owner collection and is therefore offered without reserve Thailand. Seated in virasana with the right hand in bhumisparsamudra, his left resting in his lap, wearing a sanghati draped over his left shoulder, the serene face with heavy-lidded downcast eyes below elegantly arched eyebrows, the hair arranged in tight snail-shell curls over the high ushnisha surmounted by a flaming finial. Important Note: For essential information on the Jorgen Ruben Gallery Ledger and provenance documentation please visit here: www.zacke.at/rubencollection_ledger Dimensions: Height 70.2 cm Established in 1238, the Sukhothai Kingdom enjoyed a brief but artistically brilliant period of independence until it was gradually absorbed by the rising Ayutthaya Kingdom, a process completed in 1438. Guided by the reformist influence of Sinhalese Theravada Buddhism, which spread widely across mainland Southeast Asia in the 13th century through monastic networks linking Sri Lanka with the ports of the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea, Sukhothai sculptors returned to ancient poetic descriptions of the mahalakshana (“signs of a great man”). Drawing on these textual ideals, they developed a new, highly refined Buddha image that departed from earlier Mon and Khmer sculptural idioms. One of the most distinctive features of this style is the flame-like ushnisha, a motif that reflects this broader religious and cultural exchange with Sri Lanka. The bhumisparsa mudra is a gesture that echoes the Buddha’s call of the Earth to witness and attest to his achievement of maravijaya or enlightenment. Before achieving enlightenment, the meditating Buddha was assaulted by the forces of Mara, a demon who personifies both death and the attachments that trap living beings in a cycle of worldly suffering. Prevailing over Mara, the Buddha touched the earth with his right hand so that she would witness his moment of victory–and his enlightenment. Literature comparison: Compare a closely related gilt-bronze figure of Buddha in the the Sawanvoranayok National Museum, Sawankhalok, and included in the exhibition Thailand: Brilliant Land Of The Buddha, Kyushu National Museum, 11 April-4 June 2017. Compare a closely related gilt-bronze figure of Buddha, dated late 15th century, 92 cm high, in the Walters Art Museum, accession number 54.2775. Auction result comparison: Type: Related Auction: Bonhams New York, 23 September 2021, lot 1214 Price: USD 137,812 or approx. EUR 145,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing Expert remark: Compare the related modeling, gilding, and manner of casting. Note the size (87 cm) and slightly later date. Auction result comparison: Type: Closely related Auction: Sotheby’s Paris, 12 December 2025, lot 69 Price: EUR 44,450 at the time of writing Expert remark: Compare the closely related modeling and manner of casting. Note the size (85 cm) and lack of gilt.

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