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Lot 31
A COPPER ALLOY FIGURE OF SHAKYAMUNI BUDDHA LAOS, 18TH CENTURY
29 March 2018, 16:00 HKT
Hong Kong, Six Pacific PlaceHK$80,000 - HK$120,000
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A COPPER ALLOY FIGURE OF SHAKYAMUNI BUDDHA
LAOS, 18TH CENTURY
78 cm (28 ½ in). high
78 cm (28 ½ in). high
Footnotes
寮國 十八世紀 釋迦牟尼佛銅坐像
Provenance:
Lawrence Khor, Asia Ancient, 2009
Private Collection, Singapore, acquired from the above
The history and religion of northern Thailand and Laos share a various degree of assimilation and development. The founder of the Thai Lan Na Kingdom, King Mangrai, took Vientiane under his rule in the 13th century. Half a century later, the Thai exile, Fa Ngum, broke away and established the Lao kingdom Lan Xang Hom Khao. He is credited with bringing the Sinhalese Buddhism adopted in Northern Thailand to Laos. Similarly, Lao Buddhist sculpture borrowed heavily from northern Thai styles produced at centres of production like Chiang Mai.
Within this context, it is not surprising that the present lot shows stylistic features common to both cultures. This is apparent in many other sculptures, such as one in the Museum Rietberg (see Fontein, The Art of Southeast Asia, Zurich, 2007, pp.92-3, no.40) and another sold at Sotheby's, New York, 30 November 1994, lot 147. For examples of Lao Buddha sculptures with similar arched eyebrows, short nose, and small mouth, see Giteau, Art et Archéologie du Laos, Paris, 2001, p.157, figs.120-1.