Lot 616. A gilt copper alloy figure of Maitreya, Khasa Malla, Nepal, 13th-14th century, Himalayan Art Resources item no.16802,12 1/2 in. (31.8 cm) high. Sold for US$ 680,075 (€ 584,558). Photo: Bonhams.

NEW YORK, NY.- A 13th /14th century gilt copper alloy figure of Maitreya from the Khasa Malla kingdom was the top lot of Bonhams’ marquee Asia Week sales in New York. Sold on 23 September at the Indian, Himalayan & Southeast Asian Art Sale, the cover lot realised US$ 680,075, well exceeding its pre-sale estimate of US$ 400,000–600,000.

An exceptional bronze for its size and clear refinement, the sculpture depicts Maitreya – the bodhisattva of loving kindness – seated in a relaxed posture of ease on an exquisitely modelled blooming lotus, with his right hand raised to reassure his followers. Despite his languid pose, his toes remain flexed, a delightful detail that signals the bodhisattva remains alert from his celestial abode to the suffering of others.

Edward Wilkinson, Bonhams’ Global Head of the Indian, Himalayan, and Southeast Asian Art and Executive Director, Asia, commented: “The superb and magnetic figure of Maitreya achieved a great price consistent with a buoyant market. Strong results were also seen across all areas within the category, and we anticipate the momentum to continue into our Hong Kong sale of Images of Devotion on 5 October.”

Dessa Goddard, US Head, Asian Art at Bonhams, added: “We are delighted to see an Asian art market buoyed by strong resilience. Despite global developments this year, collectors want to collect. Fresh, rare and high-quality properties with good provenance continue to attract active and deep bidding from our international clientele across sales. We look forward to our upcoming Asian art sales in Hong Kong, London, Sydney and Los Angeles, as well as the online-only sales on Bonhams.com.”

Lot 616. A gilt copper alloy figure of Maitreya, Khasa Malla, Nepal, 13th-14th century, Himalayan Art Resources item no.16802,12 1/2 in. (31.8 cm) high. Sold for US$ 680,075 (€ 584,558). Photo: Bonhams..

Provenance: Chino Roncoroni
Private Swiss Collection, acquired from the Paris Art Market, 2009.

Note: This magnificent gilt bronze sculpture of Maitreya, The Future Buddha, originates from the enigmatic Khasa Malla kingdom, which ruled the Karnali Basin of western Nepal and part of western Tibet between the 12th and 14th centuries. The bronze is quite exceptional, not only for its size, being larger than most identified Khasa Malla bronzes, but also for its clear refinement and beauty.

Maitreya, whose name derives from the Sanskrit word 'maitri', meaning 'benevolence' or 'loving kindness', is shown seated here in lalitasana—a relaxed posture of ease—one leg folded and the other pendant, while he leans on his left wrist. Despite his languid pose, his toes remain flexed, which is a delightful detail that signals the bodhisattva remains alert from his celestial abode to the suffering of others. With a puckered smile, he raises his right hand in abhaya mudra to reassure his followers. From the sculpture's base rise two exquisitely modeled lotuses in bloom by his shoulders, the left supporting a kundika vase. The vase is an attribute used to identify Maitreya, along with the miniature stupa surmounting his tall chignon.

Mastering both detail and form, the artist has created a resplendent gilded image with an elegant presence. Draped over the figure's left shoulder is an antelope skin, which is a relatively uncommon iconographic feature for Maitreya in Tibetan art, more often seen in Nepalese and Mongolian sculpture (e.g. HAR 21853, 57205, 61523 & 65413). The deerskin's diminutive size adds a sense of monumentality to the bodhisattva who wears it. Maitreya's smooth, golden skin and shapely physique provide a perfect foil for his jewelry's crisp definition. Lavish silks in the form of a short, pleated dhoti grace his thighs, incised with delicate patterns that attest to the artist's dexterity.

Despite the Khasa Malla kingdom being known to western scholars from historical records by the mid-20th century, it was not until 1994 that the first artwork was securely attributed to them. While researching an idiosyncratic gilt bronze goddess in the National Museum of Asian Art, Washington D.C. (1986.23M), Ian Alsop discovered the kingdom being mentioned by name in the inscription (see Alsop, "The Metal Sculpture of the Khasa Malla Kingdom" in Singer & Denwood (eds.), Tibetan Art, Towards a Definition of Style, London, 1997, pp.68-79). Since then a number of paintings and sculptures have been attributed to the Khasa Mallas, whose enthusiastic Buddhist patronage gave rise to a distinctive sculptural tradition of marked quality.

The art of the Khasa Mallas took inspiration from its neighboring cultures, incorporating stylistic elements from the Kathmandu Valley, West Tibet, and Pala India. As the Khasa Mallas had close contact with the Newars in Kathmandu, influences from the Valley frequently prevail. For example, the present figure's sensuous modeling and broad countenance are characteristic of the famed Newari 'Standing Padmapanis', such as one contemporaneous to the present sculpture, held by the Rubin Museum of Art (C2005.16.8).

Many stylistic details used to identify Khasa Malla bronzes are not exclusive to the kingdoms' style, but their aggregation generally distinguishes them from other known artistic traditions. One notable Khasa Malla feature absent from the present bronze is a detailing of the figure's knuckles. However, this bronze displays another strong Khasa Malla feature by the manner in which the sash fanning out before the ankles is cast on the base rather than the figure. Other typical characteristics are the base's plain back and large beaded upper rim. In contrast to the Rubin Padmapani (C2005.16.8), the present bronze exhibits the Khasa Malla's predilection for fleshier faces and figures, further pronouncing the auspiciousness of a well-nourished being unencumbered by the harsh realities of mortal existence. Relaxed and awaiting his messianic charge, this perfectly cast apparition of The Future Buddha is a masterpiece of Khasa Malla sculpture.

Other notable prices achieved in this week of Bonhams’ Asia Week sale series include:

Indian, Himalayan & Southeast Asian Art Sale (23 September)

Lot 626. A Pair of Silver and Gilt Copper Alloy Figures of The Seventh Karmapa Chodrak Gyatso and The Fourth Sharmapa Chokyi Drakpa, Tibet, Late 15th /16th Century. Tibetan inscriptions at the back of each figure's lotus base, translated: "Homage to the glorious Karmapa Chodrak Gyatso!" and "Homage to Chokyi Drakpa who wears the long-eared red hat!". Himalayan Art Resources item nos.68493 & 68494. Karmapa: 3 1/2 in. (8.9 cm) high; Sharmapa: 3 3/8 in. (8.6 cm) high. Sold for US$ 437,575. Over four times the estimate: US$ 100,000–150,000. Photo: Bonhams.

Provenance: The Collection of Mrs. James W. Alsdorf (Karmapa only)
Sotheby's, New York, 5 December 1992, lot 52 (Karmapa only)
The Nyingjei Lam Collection
On loan to the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, 1996 – 2005
On loan to the Rubin Museum of Art, New York, 2005 – 2019.

Published: David Weldon and Jane Casey Singer, The Sculptural Heritage of Tibet: Buddhist Art in the Nyingjei Lam Collection, London, 1999, pp.180-1, pls.44&44a.
F. Ricca, Arte Buddhista Tibetana: Dei e Demoni dell' Himalaya, Turin, 2004, figs.IV.57&58.

Exhibited: The Sculptural Heritage of Tibet: Buddhist Art in the Nyingjei Lam Collection, Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, 6 October – 30 December 1999.
Arte Buddhista Tibetana: Dei e Demoni dell' Himalaya, Palazzo Bricherasio, Turin, June – September 2004.
Stable as a Mountain: Gurus in Himalayan Art, Rubin Museum of Art, New York, 13 March – 13 July 2009.
Lama, Patron, Artist: The Great Situ Panchen, Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., 13 March – 18 July 2010.
Casting the Divine: Sculptures of the Nyingjei Lam Collection, Rubin Museum of Art, New York, 2 March 2012 – 11 February 2013.

Note: It is extremely rare to find silver portraits of such remarkable quality surviving in pairs. It is all the more satisfying here that each figure represents one of two complementary branches of the Karma Kagyu school's leadership—made known thanks to the lasting red and black pigments on their hats. It is the Karmapa, wearing a black hat, who identifies the next incarnate Sharmapa, wearing a red hat, and the Sharmapa who identifies the next incarnate Karmapa. Seated on matching gilt-bronze lotus bases, the two hierarchs are flawlessly represented wearing chased silver garments that testify to the hand of a virtuoso.

The two teachers are identified by their inscriptions as the Seventh Karmapa Chodrak Gyatso (1454-1506), and his student, the Fourth Sharmapa Chokyi Drakpa (1453-1524). The Seventh Karmapa is remembered for being a compassionate leader and an accomplished scholar. He is said to have brokered peace among local tribes in southern Tibet. The Seventh Karmapa also established seminaries at Tsurphu monastery and Chokhor Lhumpo, and authored important exegesis, including the Lamp of the Three Worlds, a commentary on Asanga's Abhisamayalankara. Meanwhile, the Fourth Sharmapa was a primary disciple of the Seventh Karmapa and supervised Go Lotsawa Zhonupel (1392-1481), who authored The Blue Annals, a principal survey of Tibetan history.

These two sculptures were likely commissioned by a student of the Fourth Sharmapa either during the Sharmapa's lifetime or shortly thereafter. No other pieces from the same commission are known, which would otherwise indicate the pair are part of a larger lineage set. Further to the contrary, the artist has paired the two hierarchs with matching physiques, robes, and hand gestures (mudras).

Silver is a rarer commodity considered more precious than gold in Tibet. In sculpture, it is generally used sparingly as inlay, rather than a figure being cast outright from the costly metal. However, silver sculptures were produced for wealthy patrons who wanted to stress their reverence for the subject and enhance the merit generated by their commission with more costly materials. Pairing a silver figure with a gilt-bronze base was also popular, a practice that was adopted early in the Himalayas by the Khasa Mallas, who ruled the Karnali Basin of western Nepal and part of western Tibet between the 12th and 14th centuries. In fact, the plump petals on these two sculptures, embellished with tiny engraved markings, appear to take inspiration from Khasa Malla sculpture. See a bronze Hevajra and a silver lama above a gilt-bronze base in Alsop, "The Metal Sculpture of the Khasa Malla Kingdom", in Orientations: Art of Tibet, Hong Kong, 1998, p.165, fig.6 and von Schroeder, Buddhist Sculptures of the Alain Bordier Foundation, Hong Kong, 2010, pp.28-9, pl.11, respectively. Other examples of silver portraits on gilt-bronze lotus bases include a Padmasambhava in the Rubin Museum of Art (Collection Highlights, New York, 2014, pp.138-9), and a Sangye Chopa published in Grewenig & Rist (eds.), Buddha: 2000 Years of Buddhist Art,, Völklingen, 2016, p.456, no.201.

Chinese Paintings and Works of Art Sale (21 September)

Lot 246. Qi Baishi (1862-1957), Narcissus, Rock and Quail. Hanging scroll, ink and color on paper, inscribed by the artist with a poetic inscription and signed Qi Huang with one artist's seal reading Muren. 61 1/4 x 16 3/4in (155.5 x 42.5cm). Sold for US$ 437,575. Over five times the estimate: US$ 80,000–120,000. Photo: Bonhams.

Provenance: Far East Fine Arts, San Francisco, California.

Published: Jung Ying Tsao, The Paintings of Xugu and Qi Baishi, 1993, no 5, pp. 266-269.

Note: The subject of narcissus is relatively rare in the oeuvre of Qi Baishi. Of the few instances of the artist rendering this springtime flower, most date from the 1920s and 1930s, a likely dating for the present work as well. Translated in the 1993 publication, the poem reads:

Cold snow, chilly wind, cracked ice:
This is the season when the narcissus blooms.
With whom will the flowers speak of friendship,
Under the trees, the bright moon and delicate plum blossoms?

Lot 186. A Pair of Jade and Hardstone Overlay Lacquer Panels, Imperial Workshops, 18th Century; 41 5/8 x 28 1/4in (105.7 x 71.8cm), including the frame (2). Sold for US$ 387,575. Over 19 times the estimate: US$ 20,000–30,000. Photo: Bonhams.

Each lacquered panel embellished with inset jade, coral, wood and other semiprecious stones to form birds and flower blossoms on an light ochre lacquered ground, both with three incised poems in clerical script with the signature of the calligrapher chen Jin Jian, each with a hardwood frame carved with bats and clouds, with silver wire inlay to the inner border.

Note: The style and quality of these panels compare favorably with those depicted in Nancy Berliner et al (2010) The Emperor's Private Paradise: Treasures from the Forbidden City Salem, MA: Peabody Essex Museum, pp 102-103 cat. 25. See as well ibid, passim for numerous other objects with similar quality and style hardstone overlay. Those published pieces all were meant to adorn the Juanqin Zhai, Qianlong's 'Studio of Exhaustion from Diligent Service' in a corner of the Forbidden City for him to enjoy towards the end of his career and through his subsequent assumption of the role of 'Emperor Emeritus' in 1795. In addition to imperial poems, the present lot is also inscribed with poems signed by the 18th century Manchu official Jin Jian, known for his poetry and assigned by Qianlong to the editing of the Siku Quanshu huiyao as well as other literary tasks throughout his long career

Fine Japanese and Korean Art (24 September)

Lot 1046. A Large and Fine Porcelain Moon Flask, Joseon Dynasty (1392-1897), 16th /17th Century; 9 7/8in (25cm) high. Sold for US$ 87,575. Estimate: US$ 70,000–80,000. Photo: Bonhams.

The circular vase with flattened sides, an upright neck ending in a rolled rim, and set on a raised oval-shaped foot, the surface covered in a transparent glaze showing a slight blue cast where it has pooled, the foot ring unglazed. With a wood tomobako storage box.

Note: For other white porcelain moon flasks, see Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Republic of Korea, Korean Arts, vol. 2, Ceramics, Seoul, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Republic of Korea, 1961, cat. no. 98; Kungnip Chungang Pangmulgwan, Park Byong-rae suijib ijo doja/ Donated Pieces of Yi Porcelain from the Collection of Dr. Park Byong-rae, exhibition catalogue, National Museum of Korea, 1974, cat. no. 49; Rhee Byung-chang, Kankoku bijutsu shushu/ Masterpieces of Korean Art, Tokyo, Tokyo University Press, 1978, cat. no. 146; Jin Wianlong, ed., Ijo doja, baegjyayeon (Yi Porcelain, White Porcelain), 1979, cover image and cat. no. 14
For a similar undecorated white porcelain moon flask dated to the sixteenth century, compare an example in the Museum of Oriental Ceramics, Osaka, acc. No.00153, http://jmapps.ne.jp/mocoor_e/det.html?data_id=1051

Undecorated Korean white porcelain vessels such as this have been eagerly collected both within and beyond East Asia for more than a century and have provided inspiration for artists as varied as British ceramist Bernard Leach, Korean painters including Kim Whanki, and many of the country's contemporary potters, contributing to global perceptions of the purity and minimalism of the traditional national aesthetic. Although a few white wares had been made earlier, their predominance dates from the late fifteenth century, when the royal court established a kiln complex at Gwangju that would operate for over four centuries as an official ceramic factory on the Chinese imperial model. The products of the bunwon kilns became so popular among the country's bureaucratic elite that similar wares were soon being made throughout the peninsula, precipitating a decline in the slip-inlaid buncheong ware that had been the ceramic of choice during the previous two centuries. Although the proliferation of production sites makes it difficult to assign the present flask to a specific location, its powerful, precise modeling, well-controlled glaze effects, and characteristic short neck and a low foot point to a date of manufacture not long after the classic example cited above.

Flasks of this type were typically made by throwing two near-identical dishes and then "luting" (joining) their rims with wet clay and applying a separately modeled mouth and foot. From the seventeenth century onward, decorated white wares were also in vogue, with lively, informal motifs such as those on the following lot, often painted in underglaze iron brown instead of the more costly cobalt blue

Lot 1020. A Haramaki Cuirass, Muromachi (1333-1573) or Momoyama (1573-1615) Period, Late 16th Century. Sold for US$ 68,825. More than doubling the estimate: US$ 25,000–35,000. Photo: Bonhams.

The hon-kozane cuirass assembled from alternating iron and leather scales lacquered and laced together in white, orange, and purple silk, and blue doe skin, with seven sections of five-lame kusazuri, the munaita and waki no ita applied with stenciled doe skin and trimmed along the top edge with the original fukurin, some of the original lacing and much of the original gilt-copper kanamono intact. With a wood storage box, no armor stand.

Elegant Embellishments Sale (21 September)

Lot 329. A Crystal and Gold Bead Necklace. Sold for: US$ 15,075. Estimate: US$ 10,000–15,000. Photo: Bonhams.