INDONESIA, 9TH/10TH CENTURY

Details

An Important Bronze Figure of Kubera
Indonesia, 9th/10th Century
Seated on a circular pillow over a stepped plinth supported by two lions, with his right hand in varada mudra and holding the mongoose in his left, wearing long flowing robes richly adorned with jeweled armlets and necklaces, his face with a serene expression with wide open eyes surmounted by a conical headdress, the throneback modeled as a gateway flanked by leogryphs mounted on elephants in openwork, all supporting a flaming nimbus, the pinth centered by a cluster of jewels, with a deep brown patina overall
13¾ in. (34.8 cm.) high

Lot Essay

This bronze figure of Kubera is among the very few comparatively large Indonesian bronze figures recorded in public and private collections; another figure of Kubera is in the collection of the Musée Guimet, see A. Le Bonheur, La sculpture indonesienne au Musee Guimet, 1971, cat. no. 3 814, p. 182f. In its general concept, it follows contemporary Indian prototypes created in Nalanda, Bihar; Compare a related example in Inde, Cinq Mille Ans d'Art, Paris, Musee du Petit Palais, 1978/79, cat. no. 97, from the National Museum, New Delhi. The proximity in style is indicative of the direct exchange of Indian bronzes to the South-East Asian region at that time, likely by sea, disseminating Pala style and fueling further regional stylistic evolution.

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