AN INSCRIBED BRONZE FIGURE OF PADMPAPANI, CENTRAL JAVA, MUSI DELTA, 9TH-10TH CENTURY

Indonesia. Finely cast seated on a double-lotus base with beaded upper rim, the left leg pendant, the right hand lowered on the knee, while the left hand is holding the stem of a lotus that blossoms at the shoulder, dressed in a diaphanous dhoti with neatly executed pleats.
The body slightly bent to the right and the face with a benign expression, heavy-lidded downcast eyes under arched brows centered by an urna, a slender nose, and thick lips forming a gentle smile, flanked by ears with pendulous lobes. The hair is arranged in a tall chignon with voluminous curls, centered by Amithaba at the front.
All backed by a large, oval mandorla, incised with an ancient script.

Provenance: Found in the Musi River delta, South Sumatra, Indonesia, circa early 1980s. An important and distinguished private collector in London, United Kingdom, acquired around 1985 in Singapore, and kept in the collection for over 40 years.
Condition: Good condition, commensurate with age. Extensive wear, casting irregularities, nicks and scratches, minor corrosion, light dents, losses to the mandorla, signs of weathering. The bronze with a fine, naturally grown, dark patina.

Weight: 3.7 kg (excl. stand), 4.9 kg (incl. stand)
Dimensions: Height 25.6 cm (excl. stand), 29.5 cm (incl. stand)

With a fitted wood and metal stand. (2)

The work's style and composition are evidently inspired by the art of the contemporaneous Pala kingdom of Northeastern India, to which are added distinct local adaptations. Compare a stone figure of Maitreya, 115 cm high, in the Bihar Museum, accession number ARCH - 1682. See also a seated Buddha reaching enlightenment, flanked by Avalokiteshvara and Maitreya, India, Bihar, Nalanda monastery, dated late 10th-11th century, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, object number 20.58.16. The elevated coiffure bears comparison to that of the celebrated Trimurti stone sculpture of the late Gupta period, dated to the 7th century and preserved in the Elephanta caves. The body posture on the other hand recalls a bronze figure of Avalokiteshvara from Sri Lanka, dated to the late 7th to first half of the 8th century, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, object number 1987.142.65. A further parallel may be drawn with a silver-inlaid copper-alloy figure of Avalokiteshvara from the Swat Valley, dated to the 7th century, which exhibits a comparable stance and modeling.

Literature comparison:
Compare a related smaller bronze figure of a seated deity from an esoteric Buddhist Mandala, also holding a similarly shaped lotus flower or implement, dated ca. third quarter of the 10th century, 8.6 cm tall, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, object number 1987.142.164.

Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Christie's New York, 21 September 2007, lot 351
Price: USD 37,000 or approx. EUR 50,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A large bronze figure of Padmapani, Indonesia, Central Java, 10th century
Expert remark: Compare the closely related modeling, manner of casting, and subject. Note the related size (21 cm) and missing halo.

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