A RARE GILT BRONZE FIGURE OF DIPANKARA BUDDHA, LATE MALLA, THREE KINGDOMS PERIOD
Nepal, 17th-18th century. Well cast standing in samabhanga, his left hand raised in abhaya mudra and the right lowered in varada mudra, wearing a long, flared robe and pleated outer garment, both with finely incised scroll decoration at the hems. The serene face with heavy-lidded eyes below gently arched eyebrows centered by a prominent urna, flanked by long pendulous earlobes suspending elaborate floral earrings. The hair arranged in tight curls with a domed ushnisha surmounted by a jewel behind the foliate tiara.

Provenance: J. J. Klejman, New York, before 1974. Sotheby's Parke-Bernet, New York, 26 October 1974, Lot 4. A private collector in New York, acquired from the above. John J. Klejman (1906-1995) was a noted Polish-American collector and dealer who founded the Klejman Gallery in New York in 1950.
Condition: Good condition with some old wear, particularly to gilt, minuscule nicks, light scratches, minor dents, small losses. The flared robe with a small old repair to the backside. The crown slightly bent backwards.

Weight: 4,996 g (incl. base)
Dimensions: 30 cm (excl. base) and 36.5 cm (incl. base)

Dipankara, one of numerous Buddhas of the past, is said to have predicted the coming of the historical Buddha Shakyamuni. According to legend, a rich Brahmin named Sumati saw that Dipankara was about to walk into a puddle of water. To prevent him from soiling his feet, Sumati laid his long hair across the puddle. Following this event, Dipankara prophesized Sumati's rebirth as the future Buddha. Images of Dipankara in Nepal are worshipped as icons bestowing charity and protecting merchants.

The Three Kingdoms period – the time of the later Mallas – began in 1520 and lasted until the mid-eighteenth century. The complete flowering of the unique culture of the Kathmandu Valley occurred during this period, and it was also during this time that the old palace complexes in the three main towns achieved much of their present-day forms. The kings still based their legitimate rule on their role as protectors of dharma, and often they were devout donors to religious shrines. Kings built many of the older temples in the valley, gems of late medieval art and architecture, during this final Malla period.

Buddhism remained a vital force during these times for much of the population, especially in its old seat of Patan. Religious endowments called guthi arranged for long-term support of traditional forms of worship or ritual by allowing temple or vihara lands to pass down through generations of the same families. This support resulted in the preservation of a conservative art, architecture, and religious literature that had disappeared in other areas of South Asia. Newari was in regular use as a literary language by the fourteenth century and was the main language in urban areas and trading circles based in the Kathmandu Valley.

Auction result comparison: Compare a related gilt bronze figure of Dipankara, 47.6 cm high, dated 1520-1768, in these rooms in Fine Chinese Art, Buddhism and Hinduism, on 16 October 2021, lot 379, sold for EUR 22,000.


尼泊爾馬拉王朝後期三國鼎立時期罕見鎏金銅燃燈佛
尼泊爾，十七至十八世紀。精美鑄造燃燈佛成三摩地冥想狀態，佛祖左手飾與願印，右手施無畏印，身披半肩式過膝大褂，裙褂上簪刻紋路精細，裙擺自然舒展。面容安詳，眼瞼下垂，眉毛微微拱起，眉間白毫，兩側是長長的耳垂，佩戴著精緻的耳環。 頭戴五葉冠，頭髮成螺髻。

來源：紐約J. J. Klejman, 1974年前；紐約蘇富比Sotheby's Parke-Bernet, 1974年10月26日 Lot 4；紐約私人藏家，購於上述拍賣行。John J. Klejman (1906-1995) 曾是知名的波蘭裔美國藏家和經銷商，1950年在紐約成立了Klejman Gallery 藝廊。
品相：狀況良好，有一些舊磨損，特別是鎏金，微小的刻痕、輕微的劃痕和凹痕，少量缺損。長袍背面有一個小小的舊修復，王冠微微向後彎曲。

重量: 4,996 克 (含底座)
尺寸：30 厘米（不含底座)，總 36.5 厘米

拍賣結果比較：比較一件相近的鎏金銅燃燈佛，高 47.6 厘米，1520-1768年, 於本藝廊 Chinese Art, Buddhism and Hinduism 2021年10月16日 lot 379, 售價EUR 22,000。