A COPPER ALLOY FIGURE OF BUDDHA


SRI LANKA, KANDYAN PERIOD, 18TH CENTURY15 3/8 in. (39 cm) high
|斯里蘭卡 康提時期 十八世紀 佛陀銅立像 The superior modeling of this standing bronze figure of Buddha is evident in the treatment of the right hand—with its precise digits, fleshy palm, and lotus emblem. Also, a rarely-seen indentation distinguishing the legs under the robe, the mere suggestion of the right nipple, and the curvaceous sweep of his right side, mark the bronze's distinction. But its most striking feature is the sensitivity afforded to the beautifully rounded face, which achieves a natural brow bone with subtle contours around his heavy-lidded downcast eyes, conveying a deep and blissful peace. While there are grander, gilded examples of the Kandyan period's highly abstracted figurative style, few are as well and sensitively modeled as this superior figure of Buddha offering reassurance (abhaya mudra) with his right hand. The Kingdom of Kandy emerged as the pre-eminent Sinhalese political authority and patron of Buddhism by the 17th century. Two predominant forces inform the style of Kandyan Buddhist art: one is the continuance of Sinhalese tradition in depicting Buddha with a broad body type wrapped in a pleated robe, set by colossal statues of the Anuradhapura and Polunnaruwa periods, such as the Avukana Buddha and the sculptures of Gal Vihara. The other is a South Indian tradition of expressing dynastic identity through artistic patronage of religious objects, expressed with enthusiasm by the Nayak princes, who were invited to assume Kandy's throne after its last Sinhalese king died without an heir in 1747. Represented by the present sculpture, the Kandyan style plays with abstraction in an almost modern way. The curved contour of the figure's right side contrasts with the straight edge of its left, and the honey-colored surface is finished with panache using formalized waves to convey the wrinkling of fine gossamer under Sri Lanka's tropical humidity. Published Phoenix Art Museum, Guardian of the Flame: Art of Sri Lanka, Phoenix, 2003, p.152. 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