A rare Silver Figure of Avalokiteshvara
Property from the Estate of Thomas T. Solley
A rare Silver Figure of Avalokiteshvara

THAILAND, PRA KON CHAI STYLE, 7TH/8TH CENTURY

Details
A rare Silver Figure of Avalokiteshvara
Thailand, Pra Kon Chai style, 7th/8th Century
Finely cast standing with the right hand raised, his face with a benign expression surmounted by a high chignon with rows of carefully arranged looped hair, wearing a plain sampot secured with a knotted sash
2 5/8 in. (6.5 cm.) high
Provenance
Lawrence Phillips, Roslyn, acquired 28 April 1979
Exhibited
On loan to the Indiana University Art Museum, Bloomington, April 2002-January 2007

Lot Essay

The remarkable group of Buddhist bronzes from Pra Kon Chai in southeast Thailand reflect Cambodian, Thai, and Indian influences.
Many of the larger pieces of the Pra Kon Chai type contain varying degrees of silver and only the extremely rare small pieces have an almost pure silver content; compare with a small figure from the Kronos Collections, see M. Lerner, The Flame and the Lotus, 1984, cat. no. 35, p. 100f.

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