Laos – Kingdom of Lan Xang

Important standing bronze Buddha Śākyamuni, attributable to the Lan Xang kingdom, within the Lao sphere, probably the Vientiane region, and displaying a pronounced stylistic influence from Ayutthaya. This sculpture is distinguished by a relatively rare stylistic combination: it combines frontal presentation, body architecture and certain garment characteristics linked to Ayutthaya vocabulary with a face, coiffure and expression that sit far more naturally within the Lan Xang tradition. Recent research on Lan Xang bronzes has precisely highlighted the existence of high-level productions incorporating influences from Ayutthaya, notably in the royal workshops. The piece is linked to an important standing Buddha conserved at the Walters Art Museum, attributed to Laos and dated to the 17th–18th centuries, for which Hiram W. Woodward contemplates a creation under Surinyavongsa in the 17th century. This comparison, together with other stylistic and technical elements, supports a probable dating for the present sculpture in the second half of the 17th century, with a possible margin extending to the early 18th century. Provenance is one of the strong points of the dossier. The sculpture is documented as early as 1986 at Sotheby’s New York, where it appears in Lot 342 of the sale of September 25–26. It was subsequently photographed around 1988 in the private American collection of Richard B. Desmond. This early market and collection documentation greatly strengthens the work’s interest. The Buddha preserves a beautiful dark bronze patina with localized green oxides. The two hands are old missing, as they were already at Sotheby’s sale of 1986. The arrangement of the arms suggests a right hand probably raised in abhaya mudrā, while the left hand was lowered. A deliberate hollow at the top of the uṣṇīṣa also indicates that a rim or added floral typically would have completed the figure. Because of its format, the quality of its casting, its ancient provenance and especially this uncommon meeting between Lan Xang tradition and Ayutthaya influence, this sculpture constitutes a particularly interesting and rare example of Mekong basin Buddhist statuary at the end of the 17th century. video link: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/jv2dtvla2xr7zwfsqhn7m/AC4BZ77NsNMC7Ie3GLEWobQ?rlkey=yfal0heqp4evz9ehdyugdllmj&dl=0

Estimation:€12,000

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