A SANDSTONE FIGURE OF BUDDHA MUCHALINDA, ANGKOR WAT STYLE, 12TH CENTURY

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A SANDSTONE FIGURE OF BUDDHA MUCHALINDA, ANGKOR WAT STYLE, 12TH CENTURY This lot is from a single owner collection and is therefore offered without reserve The Jorgen Ruben Gallery Ledger, entry from 2012: “No. 747, LA, A. Maynard, Buddha Muchalinda. Khmer Angkor Wat, 12th c. H.: 70 cm.” Gallery price: EUR 38,000 or approx. EUR 54,000 adjusted for inflation at the time of writing. Khmer Empire. Skillfully carved, depicted seated in ardha padmasana upon the coiled, scaly body of the serpent Muchalinda, sheltered by the seven-headed hood of the naga, with hands resting in his lap in dhyana mudra. The bare torso adorned with an elaborate necklace and armlets detailed in high relief. The face finely modeled in a meditative expression with downcast eyes, ridged brows, a broad nose, and full lips forming a subtle smile, all flanked by elongated earlobes embellished with large earrings, and surmounted by a carefully arranged conical coiffure secured with a distinctive tiara. Important Note: For essential information on the Jorgen Ruben Gallery Ledger and provenance documentation please visit here: www.zacke.at/rubencollection_ledger Dimensions: Height 72.5 cm (excl. stand), 86.5 cm (incl. stand) With an associated modern stand. (2) This image of the Buddha sheltered by Muchalinda dates to the Angkor Wat period and exemplifies the distinctive sculptural style that flourished during the twelfth century, when the Khmer Empire reached the height of its territorial expansion. The period began under the reign of Suryavarman II, who commissioned the construction of Angkor Wat, the largest temple of the era and one originally dedicated to Vishnu. Sculpture of the Angkor Wat period is characterized by a return to the more upright and subtly angular modeling that preceded the eleventh-century Baphuon style. While retaining a refined sense of monumentality, works of this period are generally more restrained in scale, corresponding more closely to Baphuon sculpture than to the colossal statuary produced during the tenth century and earlier. Seven-headed nagas frequently appear in Khmer art and architecture as protective beings. Historically, they are prominently represented as balustrades along the causeways leading to major temples, including those at Angkor Wat. The veneration of the naga, a serpent deity of ancient Indian origin, was readily integrated into Angkorian religious culture, where Indic traditions converged with indigenous beliefs in powerful local serpent spirits. In representations of the Buddha Muchalinda, the naga serves as both protector and symbol of spiritual authority, sheltering the Buddha during meditation. Muchalinda is the name of a naga sheltering the Buddha from the elements after his enlightenment. When a storm raged and torrential rain fell for a whole week, the king of the nagas, Muchalinda, rose from the earth, coiling its body to form a seat and swelled its great hood to shelter Buddha. When the great storm had cleared, the serpent king assumed his human form, bowed before the Buddha, and returned to his palace. Literature comparison: Compare three closely related sandstone figures of Buddha Muchalinda, one dated c. 1150-1190, 72 cm high, in the Walters Art Museum, accession number 25.171; another dated c. 1150-1175, 84 cm high, in the Asian Art Museum, San Francisco, object number B69S12; and the third in the Musée Guimet, Paris. Auction result comparison: Type: Closely related Auction: Christie’s New York, 23 March 2010, lot 276 Price: USD 40,000 or approx. EUR 53,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing Expert remark: Compare the closely related modeling, manner of carving, and stone. Note the size (94 cm). Auction result comparison: Type: Closely related Auction: Christie’s Paris, 20 June 2017, lot 171 Price: EUR 15,000 or approx. EUR 18,000 adjusted for inflation at the time of writing Expert remark: Compare the closely related modeling, manner of carving, and stone. Note the size (87 cm).

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