Footnotes

錯銀錯紅銅蓮華手觀音銅像
斯瓦特 八/九世紀

Well-proportioned and finely detailed, this bronze is a classic example showcasing the artistic mastery of metal casters in the Swat Valley. Identified by the miniature Amitabha on the bodhisattva's central crown leaf, Avalokiteshvara is comfortably seated in 'royal ease' while extending his right hand in the gesture of charity. His left hand rests unusually on the left thigh, from which emerges a large and well-nourished lotus flower, which rises above his left shoulder in full bloom. Enlivened by silver inlaid eyes and copper inlaid lips, his handsome oval face is characteristic of the Swat Valley style.

In the 4th and 5th centuries, Swat Valley, located among the foothills of the Hindu Kush mountains, served as a regional haven for Buddhism while Huns raided nearby monasteries throughout ancient Gandhara's lush plains. Thereafter, Buddhist bronzes from Swat Valley served as an important artistic and religious link between the former civilization of Gandhara, the Gupta Period of Northern India, and the rising states of Kashmir, Gilgit, and West Tibet.

The present lot's stylistic features are consistent with other Swat Valley images from the 8th/9th century. His perfectly toned body, diamond-shaped armbands, and the braided hair flowing down both shoulders are closely related to a Maitreya in the British Museum, published in Pal, Bronzes of Kashmir, New Delhi, 1975, pp.200-1, no.76. The treatment of his dhoti, with creases on the inside of his legs and a plain waistband, is almost identical to another bronze Maitreya formerly in the Pan Asian Collection, also attributed to 8th-9th century Swat Valley (ibid., pp.202-3, no.77). Also compare the face and crown to another example published in von Schroeder, Indo-Tibetan Bronzes, Hong Kong, 1981, p.97, no.12H.

Similar elaborate lion-supported plinths are seen in two other Swat bronzes of the 8th-10th century (ibid., pp.92 & 97, nos.10A & 12D). Further examples with comparable lion thrones are preserved in the Palace Museum, Beijing (Wang [ed.], Zangchuan Fojiao Zaoxiang, Hong Kong, 2008, pp.10-15, nos.9-14). Also see Bonhams, New York, 16 March 2015, lot 9.

Provenance
Private French Collection