Thailand – Kingdom of Ayutthaya Bronze / copper alloy Crowned Buddha head Phra Chao Song Khrueang in bronze. - 24 cm
12
days
05
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25
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47
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Current bid
€ 1,500
Reserve price not met
Expert
Selected by Peter Reynaers
Has nearly 30 years’ experience and moderated multiple online art research groups.
Estimate € 8,000 - € 10,000
 | €1,500 | |
|---|---|---|
 | €500 | |
| €350 | |
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Original bronze Phra Chao Song Khrueang crowned Buddha head from Ayutthaya, dating to the 17th century, with an exceptionally ornate royal crown and a hollow-cast bronze body, patina brown to brown‑red, provenance documented from Singapore since 1990 and later acquired from a European collection; certificate of authenticity and provenance documentation included.
AI-assisted summary
Description from the seller
Important bronze crowned Buddha head, belonging to the Thai type traditionally designated Phra Chao Song Khrueang, representing the Buddha in the guise of a sovereign adorned with royal attire.
The work belongs to the great artistic tradition of the kingdom of Ayutthaya and can be dated to the 17th century.
The face, particularly serene, displays the classic features of Ayutthaya sculpture: broad forehead, arched eyebrows converging to a long straight nose, heavily lowered eyes, finely drawn lips, and a meditative expression.
The major interest of this head lies in the exceptional richness of its royal regalia. The crown is composed of several layered registers, with beaded tiers, floral motifs, rosettes, volutes and flamboyant finials. At the back, a broad decorative plate presents a remarkable network of diamonds, a characteristic element documented on several crowned Buddhas of Ayutthaya.
The long ears are accompanied by elaborate pendants. At the top of the coiffure there remains a circular opening of origin, intended to receive a mounted summit element, today missing.
The sculpture is hollow-cast in bronze using the traditional lost-wax technique. The surfaces retain a dark brown to brown-red patina, with zones of green corrosion and traces of old layers, giving the whole a depth and presence that are particularly seductive.
The head originally belonged to a larger sculpture. The old separation at the neck is clearly visible and is part of the object’s material history.
The provenance is particularly interesting: the piece is documented in Singapore as early as 1990, then passes into a British private collection before its later acquisition on the European art market. This early documentation favorably accompanies the stylistic and historical study of the object.
A closely related head is held at the British Museum, while several examples of Ayutthaya crowned Buddhas are published in the reference works of Hiram Woodward.
A crowned Ayutthaya Buddha head of this quality, with equally rich regalia and provenance documented for more than thirty years, constitutes a piece particularly attractive for a collection devoted to Buddhist art and ancient Southeast Asian sculpture.
Certificate of authenticity and provenance documentation included.
video link: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/mt3jpjit8c5qx3lvg7b5u/AJcnGIMuWCQGQC8Leb_cyDg?rlkey=98f5r9us7nhjjvx4s2wth9rtd&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 bronze crowned Buddha head, belonging to the Thai type traditionally designated Phra Chao Song Khrueang, representing the Buddha in the guise of a sovereign adorned with royal attire.
The work belongs to the great artistic tradition of the kingdom of Ayutthaya and can be dated to the 17th century.
The face, particularly serene, displays the classic features of Ayutthaya sculpture: broad forehead, arched eyebrows converging to a long straight nose, heavily lowered eyes, finely drawn lips, and a meditative expression.
The major interest of this head lies in the exceptional richness of its royal regalia. The crown is composed of several layered registers, with beaded tiers, floral motifs, rosettes, volutes and flamboyant finials. At the back, a broad decorative plate presents a remarkable network of diamonds, a characteristic element documented on several crowned Buddhas of Ayutthaya.
The long ears are accompanied by elaborate pendants. At the top of the coiffure there remains a circular opening of origin, intended to receive a mounted summit element, today missing.
The sculpture is hollow-cast in bronze using the traditional lost-wax technique. The surfaces retain a dark brown to brown-red patina, with zones of green corrosion and traces of old layers, giving the whole a depth and presence that are particularly seductive.
The head originally belonged to a larger sculpture. The old separation at the neck is clearly visible and is part of the object’s material history.
The provenance is particularly interesting: the piece is documented in Singapore as early as 1990, then passes into a British private collection before its later acquisition on the European art market. This early documentation favorably accompanies the stylistic and historical study of the object.
A closely related head is held at the British Museum, while several examples of Ayutthaya crowned Buddhas are published in the reference works of Hiram Woodward.
A crowned Ayutthaya Buddha head of this quality, with equally rich regalia and provenance documented for more than thirty years, constitutes a piece particularly attractive for a collection devoted to Buddhist art and ancient Southeast Asian sculpture.
Certificate of authenticity and provenance documentation included.
video link: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/mt3jpjit8c5qx3lvg7b5u/AJcnGIMuWCQGQC8Leb_cyDg?rlkey=98f5r9us7nhjjvx4s2wth9rtd&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
Thailand – Kingdom of Ayutthaya
Century/timeframe
XVIIe siècle | Période d’Ayutthaya
Name of object
Crowned Buddha head Phra Chao Song Khrueang in bronze.
Acquired from
Auction house
Year acquired
2022
Material
Bronze / copper alloy
Country acquired from
Europe
Condition
Good
Previous owner acquired from
Private collection
Height
24 cm
Previous owner - year acquired
1990
Width
14 cm
Previous owner - country acquired from
Singapore
Depth
17 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.
