SWAT VALLEY, 7TH/8TH CENTURY

Details

A bronze figure of Maitreya
Swat Valley, 7th/8th century
Seated with one leg pendant on a rocky base, his left hand lowered in abhaya mudra, his right hand raised to hold the lotus blossom by the stem with a water pot against his shoulder, wearing a dhoti with a sash about his shoulders, the sacred thread about his waist, the face with raised urna and the hair drawn into a high chignon secured with a foliate crown bearing a stupa at center
5 3/8 in. (13.6 cm.) high

Provenance

Christian Humann, Pan-Asian Collection, before 1977

Literature

P. Pal, The Bronzes of Kashmir, 1975, fig. no. 77, p. 212.
C. Reedy, Himalayan Bronzes: Technology, Style, and Choices, 1997, fig. P19, p. 145.

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Lot Essay

This is an unusual depiction of the Maitreya; instead of dangling his water pot from his lower hand, it is tucked in discreetly next to his lotus. The stupa in the crown provides corroboration for his identity. He is also identified as a member of the Brahmin caste by the thread about his torso.
The metal alloy contains a content of 23.4 tin, which is the highest measured by Reedy in any Himalayan bronze, lending it a silvery color but also rendering it more brittle; for the metal composition, see Reedy, p. 281.

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