BRONZE BUST OF BUDDHA SHAKYAMUNI

Lot details
Expert’s note: The present bronze most likely once formed part of a seated figure of the Buddha Shakyamuni, originally measuring approximately 45 cm in height. The oversized head, poised shoulders, attenuated waist, and full face—characterized by elongated eyes, a hooked nose, and a rounded chin—are hallmark features of the early Malla style, particularly of its later phase in the 14th-15th century. This classical Newari aesthetic was also adopted by the neighboring Khasa Malla kingdom, which governed the Karnali Basin of western Nepal and western Tibet. Early Malla works are rare within the broader corpus of Nepalese art, and surviving images of seated Shakyamuni from this period are especially scarce, making this bronze a notably rare and significant example.

Represented as a universal monarch according to the ancient Indian concept of spiritual sovereignty (chakravartin), wearing a regal crown richly inlaid with turquoise and other hardstones in recognition of his Enlightenment, the Buddha is modeled with broad shoulders and attenuated waist, wearing a diaphanous robe with incised floral and geometric patterns on the hem. The rounded face exudes a sense of meditative calm with narrowed downcast eyes, inlaid circular urna, a finely modeled aquiline nose and full, almost smiling lips painted red.

Provenance: From an old Italian private collection, in the family for several generations, and thence by descent.
Condition: Overall good condition with expected wear and casting irregularities. Obvious losses, a minor old repair, scattered nicks and surface scratches, minuscule fissures, rubbing to gilding, expected losses to inlays with some possibly replaced. The bronze with a rich, naturally grown, lustrous patina.

Weight: 1,815 g (excl. stand), 2,754 g (incl. stand)
Dimensions: Height 26 cm (excl. stand), 30.5 cm (incl. stand)

With an associated metal stand. (2)

The Newari, the traditional inhabitants of the Kathmandu Valley, were the master metal casters of the period, and their services were patronized far and wide, including at the Imperial workshops of the Yuan dynasty in Beijing. The sculpture of the early Malla period, starting from the second half of the twelfth century through the fifteenth century, is characterized by pronounced musculature and elaborate ornamentation. Aesthetically, examples made during the early Malla period are among the most refined, with elegant, graceful bodies, delicate hands and fine facial features.

Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Sotheby’s London, 4 November 2021, lot 332
Price: GBP 277,200 or approx. EUR 400,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: Gilt copper Buddha Shakyamuni with inset stones, Nepal, early Malla period
Expert remark: Compare the closely related modeling, manner of casting, gilding, and subject. Note the size (32 cm).