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拍品专文
This superb gilt copper casting of Shakyamuni Buddha represents one of the finest and best-preserved early Licchavi-period sculptures, exemplifying the cross-cultural exchange that characterised Nepalese art of the 8th century. Most notably, it reveals a sophisticated appreciation for luxury textiles, likely influenced by Central Asian, particularly Sogdian, traditions.
The Buddha is depicted wearing a simple, tightly fitted, diaphanous robe, delineated only by thick hemlines visible across the chest, ankles, and under the left arm. In striking contrast, the figure is seated atop an elaborate cushion, richly adorned with pearl-edged roundels enclosing anthropomorphic figures and floral motifs. These patterns are consistent with Sogdian textile designs produced between the 7th and 9th centuries, closely resembling examples such as the silk fragment in the Cleveland Museum of Art (1950.514).
This particular representation of textile design shares strong visual and stylistic parallels with a gilt copper figure of Manjushri, almost certainly from the same atelier, formerly with Carlton Rochell (see Weldon, Himalayan Art, New York, 2018, p. 75, no. 23). The cushion’s decorative motifs also mirror those found on the well-known Shakyamuni Buddha with Adorants on Mt. Meru in the Norton Simon Museum, (1972.28.2.S), a Kashmiri work dated to the 8th century. Both works feature identical roundel patterns as well as diamond-shaped lozenges that fill the negative space. Another relevant comparison is a Manjushri figure in the Norton Simon Museum, circa 800, (1977.6.3.S), which is also seated on a similarly shaped cushion, though with a more simplified textile treatment. For a broader discussion of this textile design in the context of Central Asian imports, see Amy Heller, 'The Design of Abegg inv. no. 5065 in Relation to Documented Textiles', in Central Asian Textiles and Their Contexts in the Early Middle Ages, Abegg-Stiftung, 2006, pp. 178–180, figs. 123–124.
An unusually large tang projects from the back of the sculpture, a feature shared with a Licchavi period figure of Indra from the Solomon Family Collection. For a detailed discussion, see Vajracharya, 'Three Licchavi Period Sculptures Under One Roof: The Solomon Family Collection of Nepalese Art', Part One, Orientations, March/April 2020.
The cushion beneath the Buddha is enriched by stylised dragons and floral motifs rendered in beaded roundel patterns. This emphasis on ornate textile representation aligns with broader Himalayan trends, where luxury fabrics from Central Asia influenced throne covers, deity robes, and other decorative elements. One notable example is the sleeve pattern of an unidentified royal figure preserved in the Potala Palace, tentatively attributed to the 11th century (see von Schroeder, Buddhist Bronzes in Tibet, Vol. II, p. 941, figs. 241D & E), but also considered to be Yarlung or Licchavi.
Further evidence of the motif’s continuity across media is seen in a stone sculpture of Devi at Pashupatinath, dated to the 7th century, where the figure wears an embroidered belt adorned with Sogdian-style roundels (see Pal, The Arts of Nepal, Part One: Sculpture, Leiden/Köln, 1974, pl. 216, p. 130).
Valrae Reynolds also documents the early use of such textiles in the Himalayan context. A Tang court painting by Yan Liben (c. 600–674) shows the first Tibetan envoy wearing a red robe decorated with pearl medallions enclosing a single bird, possibly fashioned from imported Sasanian fabric (see Reynolds, “Luxury Textiles in Tibet,” in Casey and Denwood, Tibetan Art: Toward a Definition of Style, London, 1997, p. 89, fig. 3).
The enduring appeal of these textiles in Tibet is evidenced in 11th-century mural paintings, where nobles continue to be depicted wearing robes with similar motifs. However, by the 10th/11th century, representations of Vasudhara and Cundi attributed to Nepalese artists, now preserved in the Potala, (see von Schroeder, Buddhist Sculpture in Tibet, Vol. II, p. 487, nos. 154C–H) show a stylisation of the cushions, retaining the form but losing the crisp definition seen in the present Buddha and the Rochell Manjushri.
Re-evaluating this sculpture through the lens of its textile representation, heavy and precise casting, distinctive facial features, and detailed ornamentation, we are now better equipped to support an 8th-century dating. The comparative examples, ranging from Nepal to Kashmir and Tibet, reinforce the central importance of Sogdian textiles in Himalayan visual culture and underscore the remarkable craftsmanship of this work. This figure stands not only as a masterpiece of Licchavi-period sculpture but also as a testament to the dynamic cultural exchanges that shaped early Himalayan art.
The Buddha is depicted wearing a simple, tightly fitted, diaphanous robe, delineated only by thick hemlines visible across the chest, ankles, and under the left arm. In striking contrast, the figure is seated atop an elaborate cushion, richly adorned with pearl-edged roundels enclosing anthropomorphic figures and floral motifs. These patterns are consistent with Sogdian textile designs produced between the 7th and 9th centuries, closely resembling examples such as the silk fragment in the Cleveland Museum of Art (1950.514).
This particular representation of textile design shares strong visual and stylistic parallels with a gilt copper figure of Manjushri, almost certainly from the same atelier, formerly with Carlton Rochell (see Weldon, Himalayan Art, New York, 2018, p. 75, no. 23). The cushion’s decorative motifs also mirror those found on the well-known Shakyamuni Buddha with Adorants on Mt. Meru in the Norton Simon Museum, (1972.28.2.S), a Kashmiri work dated to the 8th century. Both works feature identical roundel patterns as well as diamond-shaped lozenges that fill the negative space. Another relevant comparison is a Manjushri figure in the Norton Simon Museum, circa 800, (1977.6.3.S), which is also seated on a similarly shaped cushion, though with a more simplified textile treatment. For a broader discussion of this textile design in the context of Central Asian imports, see Amy Heller, 'The Design of Abegg inv. no. 5065 in Relation to Documented Textiles', in Central Asian Textiles and Their Contexts in the Early Middle Ages, Abegg-Stiftung, 2006, pp. 178–180, figs. 123–124.
An unusually large tang projects from the back of the sculpture, a feature shared with a Licchavi period figure of Indra from the Solomon Family Collection. For a detailed discussion, see Vajracharya, 'Three Licchavi Period Sculptures Under One Roof: The Solomon Family Collection of Nepalese Art', Part One, Orientations, March/April 2020.
The cushion beneath the Buddha is enriched by stylised dragons and floral motifs rendered in beaded roundel patterns. This emphasis on ornate textile representation aligns with broader Himalayan trends, where luxury fabrics from Central Asia influenced throne covers, deity robes, and other decorative elements. One notable example is the sleeve pattern of an unidentified royal figure preserved in the Potala Palace, tentatively attributed to the 11th century (see von Schroeder, Buddhist Bronzes in Tibet, Vol. II, p. 941, figs. 241D & E), but also considered to be Yarlung or Licchavi.
Further evidence of the motif’s continuity across media is seen in a stone sculpture of Devi at Pashupatinath, dated to the 7th century, where the figure wears an embroidered belt adorned with Sogdian-style roundels (see Pal, The Arts of Nepal, Part One: Sculpture, Leiden/Köln, 1974, pl. 216, p. 130).
Valrae Reynolds also documents the early use of such textiles in the Himalayan context. A Tang court painting by Yan Liben (c. 600–674) shows the first Tibetan envoy wearing a red robe decorated with pearl medallions enclosing a single bird, possibly fashioned from imported Sasanian fabric (see Reynolds, “Luxury Textiles in Tibet,” in Casey and Denwood, Tibetan Art: Toward a Definition of Style, London, 1997, p. 89, fig. 3).
The enduring appeal of these textiles in Tibet is evidenced in 11th-century mural paintings, where nobles continue to be depicted wearing robes with similar motifs. However, by the 10th/11th century, representations of Vasudhara and Cundi attributed to Nepalese artists, now preserved in the Potala, (see von Schroeder, Buddhist Sculpture in Tibet, Vol. II, p. 487, nos. 154C–H) show a stylisation of the cushions, retaining the form but losing the crisp definition seen in the present Buddha and the Rochell Manjushri.
Re-evaluating this sculpture through the lens of its textile representation, heavy and precise casting, distinctive facial features, and detailed ornamentation, we are now better equipped to support an 8th-century dating. The comparative examples, ranging from Nepal to Kashmir and Tibet, reinforce the central importance of Sogdian textiles in Himalayan visual culture and underscore the remarkable craftsmanship of this work. This figure stands not only as a masterpiece of Licchavi-period sculpture but also as a testament to the dynamic cultural exchanges that shaped early Himalayan art.