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Lot Essay
Although the figure displays an unusual iconography, it is most probably a form of Vajradhara, with his primary hands characteristically crossed before his chest.
For stylistic elements of the Srivijaya style, compare a bronze figure of Manjushri in the John D. Rockefeller 3rd Collection, with a double lotus base of similar design with rounded apron flanked by lions, see R. Mowry, Handbook of the Mr. and Mrs. John D. Rockefeller 3rd Collection, 1981, ill. p. 40. However, the regal gaya-simha motif of the lion and elephant can be found more widely on Central Javanese bronzes. The origin of this motif can be traced to the Comilla and Chittagong districts in Bangladesh in the 7th or 8th century, and it was used extensively in early Pala sculpture. This bronze was likely cast in a center located in Northeastern or southern peninsular Thailand, influenced by the early Pala sculpture tradition of the 8th to 9th centuries, likely transmitted via Indonesia.
For stylistic elements of the Srivijaya style, compare a bronze figure of Manjushri in the John D. Rockefeller 3rd Collection, with a double lotus base of similar design with rounded apron flanked by lions, see R. Mowry, Handbook of the Mr. and Mrs. John D. Rockefeller 3rd Collection, 1981, ill. p. 40. However, the regal gaya-simha motif of the lion and elephant can be found more widely on Central Javanese bronzes. The origin of this motif can be traced to the Comilla and Chittagong districts in Bangladesh in the 7th or 8th century, and it was used extensively in early Pala sculpture. This bronze was likely cast in a center located in Northeastern or southern peninsular Thailand, influenced by the early Pala sculpture tradition of the 8th to 9th centuries, likely transmitted via Indonesia.