Laos – Kingdom of Lan Xang Bronze / copper alloy Large bronze Buddha head - 23.5 cm
12
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Current bid
€ 60
Reserve price not met
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Selected by Peter Reynaers
Has nearly 30 years’ experience and moderated multiple online art research groups.
Estimate € 5,400 - € 6,500
 | €60 | |
|---|---|---|
| €55 | |
| €50 | |
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Important bronze Buddha head from the Lan Xang kingdom, Laos, dating to ca. 1600–1650 in very good condition, measures 23.5 × 13 × 9.5 cm.
AI-assisted summary
Description from the seller
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
Seller's Story
MIMOSA SA — EXPERTISE, RESEARCH AND TRANSMISSION
For more than 26 years, I have been working as an art dealer specializing in ancient Asian arts. My work is not simply to offer objects: it is to observe them, to understand them, to study them and to document them before passing them to a new collector.
Each work presented by Mimosa SA undergoes thorough examination. Depending on its nature, this study may concern the iconography, the style, the proportions, the material, the execution techniques, surface traces, patina, the condition, restorations, provenance as well as relevant bibliographic, museum or archaeological comparisons. When justified, additional scientific analyses may also be undertaken.
Our approach rests on the experience of sight, gained from direct contact with the works for over two decades, but also on methodical and constantly renewed research. We always favor a cautious, coherent and argued attribution rather than a seductive but insufficiently substantiated assertion.
Transparency is at the heart of our approach. The wear, gaps, accidents, ancient restorations or more recent interventions are reported as precisely as possible. When an attribution carries uncertainty or remains a working hypothesis, it is clearly presented as such.
Present on Catawiki since 2016, we have chosen to maintain a regular selection of works there in order to meet international collectors who value authenticity, knowledge and quality of documentation.
Each acquisition is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity issued under our professional responsibility. For the most important works, this certificate takes the form of a genuine study dossier gathering the main technical, stylistic, iconographic, historical and bibliographic observations made during our research.
The same standard applies to shipping. Over the years, we have developed a packaging method adapted to old, fragile, heavy or complex-shaped objects. Each work is protected, immobilized and carefully packaged, according to its material and its particularities. The shipping costs correspond to the real needs for protection, handling, insurance and secure transport. Shipping is never regarded as a source of commercial profit.
Acquiring a work from Mimosa SA is to receive a selected, studied, described, documented and prepared object with the same care that we would wish for a work destined for our own collection.
Translated by Google TranslateImportant 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
Seller's Story
MIMOSA SA — EXPERTISE, RESEARCH AND TRANSMISSION
For more than 26 years, I have been working as an art dealer specializing in ancient Asian arts. My work is not simply to offer objects: it is to observe them, to understand them, to study them and to document them before passing them to a new collector.
Each work presented by Mimosa SA undergoes thorough examination. Depending on its nature, this study may concern the iconography, the style, the proportions, the material, the execution techniques, surface traces, patina, the condition, restorations, provenance as well as relevant bibliographic, museum or archaeological comparisons. When justified, additional scientific analyses may also be undertaken.
Our approach rests on the experience of sight, gained from direct contact with the works for over two decades, but also on methodical and constantly renewed research. We always favor a cautious, coherent and argued attribution rather than a seductive but insufficiently substantiated assertion.
Transparency is at the heart of our approach. The wear, gaps, accidents, ancient restorations or more recent interventions are reported as precisely as possible. When an attribution carries uncertainty or remains a working hypothesis, it is clearly presented as such.
Present on Catawiki since 2016, we have chosen to maintain a regular selection of works there in order to meet international collectors who value authenticity, knowledge and quality of documentation.
Each acquisition is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity issued under our professional responsibility. For the most important works, this certificate takes the form of a genuine study dossier gathering the main technical, stylistic, iconographic, historical and bibliographic observations made during our research.
The same standard applies to shipping. Over the years, we have developed a packaging method adapted to old, fragile, heavy or complex-shaped objects. Each work is protected, immobilized and carefully packaged, according to its material and its particularities. The shipping costs correspond to the real needs for protection, handling, insurance and secure transport. Shipping is never regarded as a source of commercial profit.
Acquiring a work from Mimosa SA is to receive a selected, studied, described, documented and prepared object with the same care that we would wish for a work destined for our own collection.
Translated by Google TranslateDetails
Culture
Laos – Kingdom of Lan Xang
Century/timeframe
XVIIe siècle, probablement première moitié, vers 1600–1650
Name of object
Large bronze Buddha head
Acquired from
Auction house
Year acquired
2020
Material
Bronze / copper alloy
Country acquired from
Europe
Condition
Very good
Previous owner acquired from
Private collection
Height
23.5 cm
Previous owner - year acquired
1990
Width
13 cm
Previous owner - country acquired from
France
Depth
9.5 cm
I verify that I have obtained this object legally and that I am allowed to sell it
Yes
Authenticity
Original/official
Sold by
Disclaimer
The seller was informed by Catawiki about documentation requirements and guarantees the following: - the object was legally obtained, - the seller has the right to sell and/or export the object, as relevant, - the seller will provide the necessary provenance information and arrange required documentation and permits/licenses, as applicable and as per local laws, - the seller will notify the buyer of any delays in obtaining permits/licenses. By bidding, you acknowledge that import documentation may be required depending on your country of residence and that obtaining permits/licenses may cause delays in the delivery of your object.
The seller was informed by Catawiki about documentation requirements and guarantees the following: - the object was legally obtained, - the seller has the right to sell and/or export the object, as relevant, - the seller will provide the necessary provenance information and arrange required documentation and permits/licenses, as applicable and as per local laws, - the seller will notify the buyer of any delays in obtaining permits/licenses. By bidding, you acknowledge that import documentation may be required depending on your country of residence and that obtaining permits/licenses may cause delays in the delivery of your object.
