A RARE LACQUER-GILT BRONZE FIGURE OF AN ARHAT, AYUTTHAYA PERIOD Thailand, 16^th-17^th century. Heavily cast seated in dhyanasana with his right hand lowered in bhumisparsa mudra and the left resting on his lap and holding a small vessel, wearing a monastic robe draped over the left shoulder, the serene face with heavy-lidded eyes below elegantly arched brows, flanked by long pendulous earlobes, the hair arranged in tight curls.

Provenance: Collection of Peter Salomon. Peter Salomon (1942-2020) was a Danish designer who developed a passion for Asian art at a young age. He purchased his first Buddhist figure at the age of 12 with his own pocket money. Planning to sell antiques for a living, he traveled to London when he was 19 and purchased many objects around Portobello Road, which he found very hard to part with, however. In the end, Salomon pursued a different career path which was nonetheless inspired by his early passion, and began to design decorative objects himself, while his love for Asian and Buddhist art lasted his entire life.
Condition: Good condition, as expected and commensurate with age, with wear and casting flaws, minor losses, small nicks, warping, dents, few structural cracks, extensive wear and flaking to lacquer gilding. Fine, naturally grown patina with a good, unctuous feel overall.

Weight: 52.9 kg
Dimensions: Height 67 cm

This rare bronze sculpture of an arhat depicts the monk seated in meditation with his right hand extending towards the ground to call on the Earth to bear witness to his enlightenment. An arhat in Theravada Buddhism, which predominates throughout Southeast Asia, represents the spiritual paradigm for ordinary beings to emulate. The highest spiritual goal for followers of Theravada Buddhism is to perfect Shakyamuni's teachings over many lifetimes, which results in becoming an arhat: an enlightened being freed from the cycle of rebirth (parinirvana).

Paintings and sculptures of arhats frequent Thai temples. Their depiction largely imitates Buddha images, though without possessing certain key physical characteristics (lakshana) that distinguish Buddha as a supernatural being. As represented in this sculpture, these are the absence of an ushnisha and the orientation of the arhat's left hand. Rather than the back of the hand resting in his lap, it is turned frontally toward the viewer.

Auction result comparison: Compare a related copper alloy figure of an arhat, 83 cm high, also dated 16^th-17^th century, at Bonhams New York in Indian, Himalayan & Southeast Asian Art on 23 September 2020, lot 638, sold for USD 47,575.