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Lot Essay
This elegant copper alloy sculpture portrays the bodhisattva Padmapani Lokeshvara seated in lalitasana, the posture of royal ease, poised serenely atop a blooming lotus pedestal, a potent symbol of spiritual purity and transcendence. His right hand extends in varadamudra, the gesture of generosity, perhaps once offering a now-lost chintamani (wish-fulfilling jewel), while his left hand gently rests on the base, delicately grasping the stem of a lotus that rises beside his left shoulder.
The figure leans subtly into an openwork oval halo, exquisitely adorned with three stylised blossoms joined by leafy tendrils. These floral forms arc above the shoulders, forming a graceful canopy that heightens the figure’s ethereal and devotional presence.
The sculptor has lavished particular attention on the jewellery, with the pectoral ornaments and forehead embellishments likely having once been inset with semiprecious stones or enriched with metal inlay—details now softly worn with age but still speaking to the sophistication of Pala-period bronze artistry.
The sculpture’s refined proportions, gentle modelling, and lyrical ornamentation reflect the enduring legacy of Gupta classicism. This lineage is especially visible in the rounded visage, gently parted lips, flowing curls, and asymmetrical earrings that hang suspended from elongated earlobes. These features demonstrate the classical idiom reinterpreted and spiritually elevated by Pala sculptors in their service to Mahayana and Vajrayana iconography.
A closely related bronze image of Avalokiteshvara in the Nalanda Museum shows a similar composition, differing only in the positioning of the left hand and the use of a lotus leaf base (00169) (see Susan Huntington, The Pala-Sena Schools of Sculpture, Leiden, 1984, no. 162). Further comparable examples include a bronze in the Orissa State Museum (von Schroeder, Indo-Tibetan Bronzes, Hong Kong, 1981, p. 223, no. 48G), a slightly more compact variant in Pal’s The Norton Simon Museum, Volume I: Art from the Indian Subcontinent, no. 134, p. 174, and a notable piece from the Robert H. Ellsworth Collection sold at Christie’s New York, 17 March 2015, lot 12.
With its serene presence, balanced composition, and refined execution, this sculpture stands as a superb example of early Pala bronze work. The quality of the casting, the sensitivity of the modelling, and the intricacy of the details affirm its artistic significance. Furthermore, its distinguished early provenance, beginning with acquisition in New York in the mid-20th century and its inclusion in the esteemed Rousset collection, underscores both its historical importance and its enduring appeal to collectors and connoisseurs alike.
The figure leans subtly into an openwork oval halo, exquisitely adorned with three stylised blossoms joined by leafy tendrils. These floral forms arc above the shoulders, forming a graceful canopy that heightens the figure’s ethereal and devotional presence.
The sculptor has lavished particular attention on the jewellery, with the pectoral ornaments and forehead embellishments likely having once been inset with semiprecious stones or enriched with metal inlay—details now softly worn with age but still speaking to the sophistication of Pala-period bronze artistry.
The sculpture’s refined proportions, gentle modelling, and lyrical ornamentation reflect the enduring legacy of Gupta classicism. This lineage is especially visible in the rounded visage, gently parted lips, flowing curls, and asymmetrical earrings that hang suspended from elongated earlobes. These features demonstrate the classical idiom reinterpreted and spiritually elevated by Pala sculptors in their service to Mahayana and Vajrayana iconography.
A closely related bronze image of Avalokiteshvara in the Nalanda Museum shows a similar composition, differing only in the positioning of the left hand and the use of a lotus leaf base (00169) (see Susan Huntington, The Pala-Sena Schools of Sculpture, Leiden, 1984, no. 162). Further comparable examples include a bronze in the Orissa State Museum (von Schroeder, Indo-Tibetan Bronzes, Hong Kong, 1981, p. 223, no. 48G), a slightly more compact variant in Pal’s The Norton Simon Museum, Volume I: Art from the Indian Subcontinent, no. 134, p. 174, and a notable piece from the Robert H. Ellsworth Collection sold at Christie’s New York, 17 March 2015, lot 12.
With its serene presence, balanced composition, and refined execution, this sculpture stands as a superb example of early Pala bronze work. The quality of the casting, the sensitivity of the modelling, and the intricacy of the details affirm its artistic significance. Furthermore, its distinguished early provenance, beginning with acquisition in New York in the mid-20th century and its inclusion in the esteemed Rousset collection, underscores both its historical importance and its enduring appeal to collectors and connoisseurs alike.