A BRONZE FIGURE OF BUDDHA MUCHALINDA, KHMER EMPIRE, ANGKOR PERIOD
Khmer Empire, 12th-13th century. Cast seated in meditation on a coiled snake, his hands held in his lap in dhyanamudra, wearing a dhoti secured at the waist, a thick torque around his neck, the face with a benign expression flanked by pendulous earlobes, the hair pulled into a conical chignon surmounted by an ushnisha and secured with a wide tiara.


The seven-headed serpent
rising above his head to form a hood sheltering the figure. The faces of the nagas remarkably well-defined and with neatly incised scales.


Provenance:
From a noted private collection in Belgium.

Condition:
Very good condition with old wear and some minor casting flaws, small nicks and losses, and tiny scratches. A naturally grown, fine deep brown and dark green patina overall. Ancient soil encrustations and remnants of pigment.

Weight: 1,851 g (incl. stand)
Dimensions: Height 23.6 cm (excl. stand) and 25.5 cm (incl. stand)

Mounted on an associated wood base.


This iconic image of Siddartha Gautama's
pursuit of enlightenment shows the scene when torrential rain threatened to drown him. The king of the nagas, Muchalinda, rose from the earth, coiling his body to form a seat swelling his great hood to shelter Buddha beneath his seven-headed canopy. Only few early examples of this type have been recorded. The well-modeled naga hood in later stylistic development dissolves into greater ornamentation; compare to an in situ example of a stone sculpture of Buddha Muchalinda, illustrated in M. Freeman and R. Warner, Angkor, The Hidden Glories, 1990, page 128.


Literature comparison:

Compare a related bronze figure of Buddha Muchalinda, 16 cm high, dated to the Angkor period, 12th century, in the National Museum in Phnom Penh, inventory number NMC.419. Compare a related bronze figure of Buddha Muchalinda, 14.2 cm high, dated to the Angkor period, 12th century, in the National Museum in Phnom Penh, inventory number NMC.414. Compare a related bronze figure of Buddha Muchalinda, 11.4 cm high, dated to the Angkor period, 12th-13th century, in the Brooklyn Museum, accession number 83.237.4.


Auction result comparison:

Type: Closely related
Auction: Christie’s New York, 20 March 2002, lot 11
Price: USD 94,000 or approx.
EUR 149,000
converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A bronze figure of Buddha Muchalinda, Khmer, Bayon style, late 12th/13th century
Expert remark: Note the larger size (29.1 cm).


Auction result comparison:

Type: Closely related
Auction: Christie’s New York, 20 March 2009, lot 1433
Price: USD 15,000 or approx.
EUR 20,000
converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A bronze figure of Buddha Muchalinda, Thailand, Lobpuri period, 13th century
Expert remark: Note the smaller size (19.5 cm).