Lot Essay
This small bronze figure can be identified as the guardian king Dhanada, based on the stupa held aloft in the left hand, and the position of the right arm, held pendent to hold a halberd. The figure is related to larger bronze figures, such as the one illustrated by Giter & Li Yin in The Beauty of Ancient Chinese Sculptures, Taiwan, December 1995, p.82, no. 31, where the larger figure (58.5 cm.) is identified as Dhanada (Northern Lokapala), guardian of the North. See, also, the bronze figure of Dhanada of larger size (36.8 cm.), sold at Christie’s New York, 20 September 2005, lot 146.