AN ARAKAN STYLE GILT BRONZE FIGURE OF BUDDHA RATNASAMBHAVA, BURMA, 16TH - 17TH CENTURY
Boldly cast seated in dhyanasana on a stepped plinth, his left hand lowered in varada mudra and his right hand held in dhyana mudra above the lap cradling a jewel. He is wearing a sheer dhoti tied at the waist with an ornate belt and with folds gathering at the top of the base as well as neatly incised scarves, and richly adorned with elaborate beaded jewelry. His serene face with sinuously lidded eyes below gently arched brows, his bow-shaped lips forming a calm smile. The hair arranged in a high chignon behind the foliate tiara and elegantly falling in twisted strands over the shoulders.


Provenance:
From a private collection in Brussels, assembled between 1970 and 1990.

Condition:
Wear, signs of weathering and erosion, losses, structural cracks, dents, rubbing to lacquer gilt, scratches, the mandorla lost. With a good patina. Overall presenting remarkably well.

Weight: 3,144 g
Dimensions: Height 30.5 cm


This exceptional example of a crowned Buddha in the classic Arakan style
closely resembles those from the Yongle period. Early Ming emperors sent gifts and dignitaries to Lamaist dignitaries in Tibet, employing Tibetan craftsmen to create sacred Buddhist images. Yongle and Arakan bronze have soft, sinuous characteristics of a refined quality. Both the Yongle and Arakan style represent an important and major shift from the Pala-influence of Southeast Asia on styles of sculpture and existed for roughly four centuries. The images consistently wear identical garments, jewelry, and five-leaved crowns. While Chinese written sources make no reference to Arakan, there are clear written sources documenting to the continual interchange of monks between Arakan, Bengal, and Tibet, which peaked in the 16th century. Bronzes of this type are rare and represent a unique cross-cultural exchange during the 15th-17th century.


Literature comparison:

Compare related Arakan bronze figures of Buddha, dated 15th-16th century, illustrated by Pamela Gutman, Burma’s Lost Kingdoms. Splendor of Arakan, 2001, pp. 148-151, nos. 160-162, where the author elaborates on the connection between Yongle and Arakan bronzes.


Auction result comparison:

Type: Closely related
Auction: Bonhams London, 8 September 2009, lot 70
Price: GBP 6,840 or approx.
EUR 14,000
converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: An Arakan gilded bronze, or other alloy, figure of a seated Buddhist deity, possibly Avalokitesvara, the Bodhisattva of Compassion
Expert remark: Compare the closely related modeling, manner of casting, and gilding. Note the similar size (33 cm).