A SILVER-INLAID BRONZE FIGURE OF BUDDHA VAIROCANA, SWAT-VALLEY, 7TH-8TH CENTURY

Scientific Analysis Report:
A thermoluminescence analysis report issued by Oxford Authentication on 1 September 2020, based on sample number N120d91, confirms the object is “consistent with the suggested period of manufacture.” A copy of the report, issued by Oxford Authentication, accompanies this lot.

Depicted in the sambhogakaya form, Vairocana holds his hands in the bodhyagrimudra while sitting atop a pedestal supported by two anthropomorphic Buddhist lions. The lions have humanized faces, silver-inlaid eyes, snail-curled hair, and are standing atop a lotus base. The Vairocana wears an ornate crown, tied on both sides with ribbons which drape down around his arms and hang from the pedestal. His face is serene, set with almond-shaped eyes with silver inlays to the pupils and central urna. The back with a tang for attachment to a temple structure.


Provenance:
From the private collection of Michael Phillips. Michael Phillips (born 1943) is an Academy Award-winning film producer. Born in Brooklyn, New York, his parents were Lawrence and Shirley Phillips, noted New York dealers in Asian fine art, selling to the Met, the LACMA, the Chicago Art Institute, and the British Museum among others. Michael Phillips is a collector of Asian art himself, particularly Indian, Southeast Asian, and Himalayan sculpture. His most important films include The Sting (winning the Academy Award for Best Picture in 1973), Taxi Driver (winning the Palme d’Or at the 1976 Cannes Film Festival), and Steven Spielberg’s Close Encounters of the Third Kind.

Condition:
Very good condition, commensurate with age. Expected signs of wear, corrosion and weathering with only small remnants of gilt remaining. The naturally grown patina has distinct malachite and cuprite encrustations and was at some point coated with a layer of varnish or wax for conservation purposes. Some losses, dents and scattered nicks.

Weight: 3,090 g
Dimensions: Height 26.3 cm


The Swat Valley
is located along the upper stream of the Indus in the heartland of the Gandhara region. It was a melting pot of various people and arts and served as a link between India and Central Asia and further eastwards for a constant flow of Buddhist pilgrims. The earlier Gandhara style is still echoed in the art of many icons of the Swat Valley, as visible in the present example. The Buddha's parallel folds as well as the protuberance on top of his head can be traced back to Gandhara Buddha figures. However, the V-shaped pleats around his neck are associated with Kashmiri prototypes, as is the use of silver inlay. His face reflects a Gupta idiom, with its small mouth and incised eyebrows. The lotus base on which he sits is typical for Swat Valley images. Thus, this fine bronze Buddha figure perfectly embodies the aforementioned melting pot of various styles.


The iconography of the crowned Buddha

Vairocana
has been a subject of dispute amongst scholars due to the lack of clear lines of interpretation within the imagery. Many conclude the crown is intended to denote Sakyamuni as a cakravartin or universal Buddha while some suggest it represents a sambhogakaya Buddha in Mahayana Buddhism. In her 2018 article Images of the Crowned Buddha along the Silk Road, Rebecca Twist examines the iconography of Silk Road crowned Buddhas and concludes the recurring evidence points to the crowned Buddha as sambhogakaya as an early esoteric meditational construct.
Many of the Buddha Vairocana that Twist examines are closely related to the present lot.
According to Twist, these similar figures which appear from various locations along the Silk Road “demonstrate a systematic form of transmission and religious syncretism in both iconography and ideology.” The present lot is a part of the clear pattern of deliberate core iconographic elements which recur in crowned Buddha Vairocana figures along the Silk Road. These elements included the sambhogakaya form, the embodiment of dharmakaya, the bodhyagrimudra, and the similarly styled crown.


Auction result comparison:

Type: Related
Auction: Bonhams New York, 16 March 2021, lot 306
Price: USD 50,312 or approx.
EUR 52,500
converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A silver inlaid copper alloy figure of a Bodhisattva, Swat Valley, circa 8th century
Expert remark: Note the similar patina, the roves with a single narrow sash across the chest, the silver inlaid eyes and urna, and the closely related crown. Note the much smaller size (13 cm).


Auction result comparison:

Type: Closely related
Auction: Bonhams New York, 19 March 2018, lot 3009
Estimate: USD 450,000 or approx.
EUR 495,000
converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A silver inlaid copper alloy figure of Vairocana, Swat Valley, 8th/9th century
Expert remark: Note the closely related pose, the similar crown and garments, the Buddhist lions which support the Vairocana atop the lotus pedestal, and the single ring molded to the back of the figure for mounting. Note the size (17.8 cm).

13% VAT will be added to the hammer price additional to the buyer’s premium – only for buyers within the EU.




七至八世紀斯瓦特谷銅錯銀毘盧遮那佛


毘盧佛施智拳印，全跏趺坐。半圓形台座正面有毘盧佛的坐騎--兩頭獅子（立姿）。毘盧佛頭戴華麗王冠，兩側飾有絲帶，從他的手臂上垂下，並懸掛在底座上。面容安詳，瞳孔鑲銀，雙眉之間有白毫。背面有支腳，用於固定到寺廟結構上。
科學檢測報告：
牛津認證公司於 2020 年 9 月 1 日出具了一份基於樣品編號 N120d91 的熱釋光分析報告確認該造像“與建議的製作日期一致”。該拍品隨附一份報告副本。


來源：
Michael Phillips 收藏。Michael Phillips (出生於1943年) 是一位電影製片人，曾獲得奧斯卡獎。他出生在紐約布魯克林，父母是Lawrence 與Shirley Phillips，他們是著名的紐約亞洲美術經銷商，向大都會博物館、洛杉磯美術館、芝加哥藝術學院和大英博物館等機構出售藝術品。Michael Phillips本人是亞洲藝術收藏家，尤其是印度、東南亞和喜馬拉雅地區造像。他最重要的電影包括《刺激》（1973 年獲得奧斯卡最佳影片獎）、《出租車司機》（1976 年戛納電影節金棕櫚獎）和史蒂文·斯皮爾伯格的《第三類接觸》。

品相：
狀況極好，有磨損、腐蝕和風化的跡象，僅殘留少量鎏金。自然包漿，具有明顯的紅綠結殼，並塗有一層清漆或蠟以進行保護。局部有一些缺損、凹痕和分散的刻痕。

重量：3,090 克
尺寸：高 26.3 厘米


拍賣結果比較：

形制：相近
拍賣：紐約邦瀚斯，2021年3月16日，lot 306
價格：USD 50,312（相當於今日
EUR 52,500
）
描述：斯瓦特約八世紀銅錯銀菩薩像
專家評論：請注意相似的包漿，胸前有一條窄帶，鑲銀的眼睛和白毫，以及非常相近的王冠。請注意尺寸較小 (13 釐米)。


拍賣結果比較：

形制：非常相近
拍賣：紐約邦瀚斯，2018年3月19日，lot 3009
估價：USD 450,000（相當於今日
EUR 495,000
）
描述：斯瓦特八/九世紀錯銀毗盧遮那佛銅像
專家評論：請注意非常相近的姿勢、王冠、衣服，毗盧遮那佛坐於蓮花座上，以及請注意背後有一環以便於安裝。請注意尺寸 (17.8 釐米)。