
Dora Tan
Head of Sale, Specialist
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Sold for HK$153,000 inc. premium
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Head of Sale, Specialist

International Director

International Specialist

Cataloguer
斯里蘭卡 康提時期 十八世紀 銅鎏金佛陀像
The Kandyan style which is depicted here, plays with elements of abstraction of form and line. The curved contour of the figure's right side contrasts with the straight edge of its left, and the gilded surface is finished using formalized waves to convey the wrinkling of a light cotton robe under Sri Lanka's tropical humidity.
This sculpture stands out for its gentle air and handsome face, which is proportionally smaller and more naturalistic than other examples. There is a natural gradient to the slope of the broad shoulders which tapers to delicately depicted fingers, especially that of the lowered hand. Contrasting pieces are published alongside this figure in Phoenix Art Museum, Guardian of the Flame, 2003, pp. 148-9. As Listopad notes, while Kandyan Buddha images appear similar at first glance, "a great deal of variation in terms of quality and iconometry governs the shapes and proportions of the Buddha bodies, most notably the shapes and features of the heads" (Phoenix Art Museum, Legacy of Kings, 2021, pp. 98-9).
Published:
Phoenix Art Museum, Guardian of the Flame: Art of Sri Lanka, Phoenix, 2003, p. 148.
Exhibited:
Guardian of the Flame: Art of Sri Lanka, Phoenix Art Museum, 8 February - 11 May 2003; The Cantor Art Center, Stanford University, 2 March - 12 June 2005; University of Virginia Art Museum, 21 January - 19 March 2006.
Provenance:
Private Collection, US, by 1957
Thence by descent