A RARE BRONZE FIGURE OF MAITREYA, PROBABLY FROM THE 'PRAKHON CHAI HOARD', PRE-ANGKOR, 8TH-9TH CENTURY

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A RARE BRONZE FIGURE OF MAITREYA, PROBABLY FROM THE 'PRAKHON CHAI HOARD', PRE-ANGKOR, 8TH-9TH CENTURY This lot is from a single owner collection and is therefore offered without reserve Standing in slight tribhanga with two hands before him and the other two raised, dressed in a short sarong secured at the waist with a cord, the face with wide features, a moustache framing the full lips, and a serene expression flanked by pendulous earlobes, the hair arranged in neat rows in a jatamukuta with finely incised, towering locks centered by a small stupa. Important Note: For essential information on the Jorgen Ruben Gallery Ledger and provenance documentation please visit here: www.zacke.at/rubencollection_ledger Dimensions: Height 25.9 cm (excl. stand), 31.6 cm (incl. stand) With an associated stand. (2) As a center of Buddhist practice, primarily Mahayana Buddhism, the Prakhon Chai region produced figures of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas that are depicted as ascetics; the figures are clad in the traditional Khmer and Thai sampot secured with a simple cord, and are otherwise unadorned, a departure from other Khmer styles in which bodhisattvas wear jewelry. As unifying stylistic features, the bodies of Prakhon Chai figures are strikingly slender and graceful, and the fingers of the four hands curl inwards towards the palm, as if the bodhisattva were delicately plucking flowers. The elaborate looping coiffure in the present example is also distinctive to the region, contrasting with the wild jatamukutas of Shaiva ascetics as they are depicted in India. The so-called “Prakhon Chai Hoard” was accidentally discovered by local villagers in 1964 at Prasat Hin Khao Plai Bat II, a tenth-century Khmer brick temple in Buriram Province. Concealed in a stone-covered pit within the temple precinct, the bronzes were likely buried during the site’s rededication for Brahmanical use. Some bear traces of cloth wrappings, evidence of careful ritual deposition. Initially misattributed to Prakhon Chai district, the cache in fact originated from nearby Lahan Sai, though the name has endured. Numbering at least fifty-three known examples and perhaps two to three hundred in total, it is possibly the largest and most important cache of Buddhist bronzes ever discovered in mainland Southeast Asia. These sculptures embody a fusion of Mon-Dvaravati, Khmer, and pre-Angkorian traditions, yet reveal a strikingly local vision. Their slender bodies, serene faces, and restrained drapery convey a spiritual clarity unique to this region. Distinctive features, such as the carefully plaited coiffure of bronze figures, distinguish them from their Indian prototypes and mark them as products of the Korat Plateau. The predominance of Avalokiteshvara and Maitreya over images of the Buddha reflects the strength of Mahayana devotion during this period of Southeast Asian history, making the present example of a seated Buddha even more rare. The hoard was first systematically studied by Jean Boisselier in 1967, who emphasized both the stylistic unity of the bronzes and their pivotal role in understanding the development of art in the Korat Plateau. His chronology has since been refined through comparisons with sculptures from Ban Thahnot, Ban Fai, and pre-Angkorian Khmer monuments of the eighth century. Their high tin content, which gives the metal a luminous silvery sheen, only enhances their elegance. Today the Prakhon Chai bronzes remain essential witnesses to the religious and artistic ferment of early Southeast Asia, among the most evocative and enduring Buddhist images ever produced. Literature comparison: Compare a closely related bronze figure of Avalokiteshvara, 8th-9th century, 38.1 cm tall, in the Walters Art Museum, Baltimore, accession number 54.2963. Compare a closely related bronze figure of Avalokiteshvara, second half of the 7th-8th century, 34.9 cm tall, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, object number 1987.145. Compare a related bronze figure of Maitreya, Northeast Thailand, dated 8th century, 25 cm tall, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, object number 1994.51. Auction result comparison: Type: Closely related Auction: Sotheby’s New York, 19 September 2008, lot 291 Price: USD 92,500 or approx. EUR 122,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing Expert remark: Compare the closely related modeling and manner of casting with similar sarong and hairstyle. Note the size (32.4 cm) and that this lot is now in the collection of the National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, accession number S2015.24. Auction result comparison: Type: Closely related Auction: Lempertz Cologne, 9 December 2016, lot 633 Price: EUR 74,400 or approx. EUR 98,000 adjusted for inflation at the time of writing Description: A fine and rare Buriram bronze figure of Avalokiteshvara. Thailand, Khorat plateau. Early 8th century Expert remark: Compare the closely related modeling and manner of casting with similar sarong and hairstyle. Note the much larger size (53.5 cm).

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