A SANDSTONE GUARDIAN FIGURE OF A YAKSHA, BAKHENG STYLE, ANGKOR PERIOD, 10TH CENTURY

拍品描述

A SANDSTONE GUARDIAN FIGURE OF A YAKSHA, BAKHENG STYLE, ANGKOR PERIOD, 10TH CENTURY This lot is from a single owner collection and is therefore offered without reserve The Jorgen Ruben Gallery Ledger, entry from 2005: “No. 332, LA 1971, A. Maynard, Khmer Bakheng Deva 10th c.” Gallery price: EUR 110,000 or approx. EUR 184,000 adjusted for inflation at the time of writing. The ledger establishes that this object was located in Europe before the UNESCO 1970 Convention entered into force. Khmer Empire. Finely modeled in the round, the figure presents a face of wrathful expression, marked by large bulging eyes with neatly incised pupils, thick brows curling towards a foliate emblem at the center of the forehead, a broad nose, moustache, the mouth revealing fangs, flanked by elongated ears suspending pendulous earrings, and the head surmounted by an elaborate foliate crown. He wears a short sampot neatly incised with parallel pleats, secured by a belt with double fish-tail textile sections falling to the front, and ornate jewelry decorating his chest, abdomen, and arms. Important Note: For essential information on the Jorgen Ruben Gallery Ledger and provenance documentation please visit here: www.zacke.at/rubencollection_ledger Dimensions: Height 98.5 cm (excl. stand), 108.5 cm (incl. stand) With an associated modern stand. (2) The Bakheng style refers to a phase in Khmer art and architecture during the reign of King Yasovarman I (r. 889-910), named after his state temple, Phnom Bakheng, near Angkor. It is considered the first fully developed Angkorian style and marks the transition from earlier pre-Angkorian traditions (like Prei Khmeng and Kulen styles) toward the monumental classic Angkor forms. The yakshas (male) and yakshinis (female) are a broad class of nature-spirits, usually benevolent, but sometimes mischievous or capricious, connected with water, fertility, trees, the forest, treasure and wilderness. They appear in Hindu, Jain and Buddhist texts, as well as in ancient and medieval-era temples of South and Southeast Asia as guardian deities. The yakshas have a dual personality: On the one hand, they may be inoffensive nature-fairies, associated with woods and mountains, but there is also a darker version of them, which is a kind of a ghost that haunts the wilderness and devours travelers. Kubera, the god of wealth and prosperity, is considered the king of the yakshas. Guardian figures such as the present lot were placed aside of gateways, steps, and entrances of sacred areas like temples. Literature comparison: Compare a closely related Koh Ker sandstone head of a Yaksha, 40.5 cm high, in the collection of the National Museum of Cambodia, inventory number Ka.1666. Auction result comparison: Type: Closely related Auction: Christie’s London, 11 May 2016, lot 104 Price: GBP 25,000 or approx. EUR 40,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing Expert remark: Compare the related modeling, manner of carving, and subject. Note the large size (43 cm) and missing body.

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