Laos – Kingdom of Lan Xang Bronze / copper alloy Large...

Important and expressive bronze head of a Buddha from the Lan Xang kingdom, Laos, attributed to the 17th century, probably to its first half, circa 1600–1650. The face exhibits the refined features of classic Lao Buddhist sculpture: high forehead, strongly arched eyebrow ridges, large downward-looking eyes with heavy eyelids, long and prominent nose, delicately formed lips in a discreet contemplative smile, and very long earlobes. The hair is composed of numerous tight little curls, crowned by a high ushnisha and a remarkable summit flame with multiple vertical tongues, cast in continuity with the head. The quality of casting and the finesse of modelling place this work among the better productions of the Lan Xang world. The piece also retains part of the neck and shoulders, with the sober lines of the monastic robe, which still allows the viewer to visually reconstruct the importance of the full sculpture to which it belonged. The surface presents a very beautiful old brown-bronze patina, nuanced by darker areas and natural green oxidations, particularly visible in the hair recesses. The interior preserves a substantial part of the ancient casting core, characteristic of a hollow lost-wax casting. This core was subsequently pierced to allow the head to be mounted on its modern presentation pedestal. The attribution to Laos, the Lan Xang kingdom, rests on the combination of the facial type, the very elongated ears, the structure of the hair, and the tall summit flame. Dating to the first half of the 17th century is supported by comparison with several Lao bronzes held in institutional collections and notably with Vientiane works dated by inscription. A particularly relevant comparison is preserved at the Walters Art Museum, inv. 54.2759, attributed to Laos and linked by the Vientiane art circle to the 17th century. Other significant parallels are found in the British Museum, LACMA, and in Pierre-Marie Gagneux’s studies on inscribed bronzes from Vientiane. The piece had previously been attributed to Laos, 16th–17th century on the art market. The present stylistic and documentary study confirms this general attribution while offering a more precise dating to the 17th century, probably circa 1600–1650. A work of very fine presence, whose serenity of the face, the quality of the bronze, and the power of the summit flame elegantly illustrate one of the great moments of Buddhist sculpture from the Lan Xang kingdom. Dimensions without base: 23.5 × 13 × 9.5 cm. Dimensions with base: total height 31 cm; base 10 × 10 cm. video link: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/we7gfkkc6subwp2cel5by/ACxdCeNxIU5tWZKGHogjxdY?rlkey=sb6adg9149bclwo70jkyauaxh&dl=0

Utropspris:SEK 60,499.1

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