A silver-inlaid copper alloy figure of Lokanatha, Greater Kashmir region, probably Swat Valley, circa 7th century

Collection of Peng Kai-dong, alias Nitta Muneichi (1912-2006), acquired in the 1950s and 60s.

This rare form of Avalokiteshvara, with right hand lowered and the left raised to the shoulder, with an elaborate uncrowned chignon bearing an image of Amitabha, echoes seventh century images from Nalanda identified as Lokanatha by John Siudmak in The Hindu-Buddhist Sculpture of Ancient Kashmir and its Influences, Brill, 2013, pp. 216-18. The bodhisattva wears an antelope skin over the bare torso, closely comparable with sixth and seventh century representations of Padmapani attributed to the Swat Valley, including a small figure in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London (accession no. IS.9-1979); and closely related seated figure sold at Bonhams Hong Kong, 1st December 2023, lot 1857.

Another closely related larger example from the Pan-Asian Collection, was included in the exhibition The Sensuous Immortals. A Selection of Sculptures from the Pan-Asian Collection, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, 1977, cat. no. 21, and sold at Christie's New York, 23rd March 1999, lot 22. See also an eighth century bronze Vajrasattva from Kashmir, ibid., cat. no. 22.

This selection of Buddhist bronze figures emanates from the collection of Nitta Muneichi (1912-2006), who was born in Taipei as Peng Kai-dong, but left Taipei for Japan as an adolescent and later took on a Japanese name. He became a highly successful businessman with a company covering a wide range of different industries. After the Second World War, he opened an antique shop on Ginza in Tokyo and in 1950 he began collecting Buddhist bronzes, which eventually became his main collecting interest. An exhibition of his collection was held at the National Palace Museum, Taipei in 1987 (The Crucible of Compassion and Wisdom). In 2003 he donated 358 Buddhist bronzes from East, Southeast and South Asia to the National Palace Museum, which exhibited them in 2004, including a similar standing Acuoye Avalokiteśhvara (The Casting of Religion. A Special Exhibition of Mr. Peng Kai-dong’s Donation, cat. no. 161). A further donation of forty-eight pieces was made after his death. The superb Dali gilt-bronze seated figure of Avalokiteshvara, Acuoye Guanyin, formerly in the Nitta collection, was sold in our Hong Kong rooms from the collection of Sir Joseph Hotung, 8th October 2022, lot 10 for a record price.