A silver-inlaid copper alloy figure of seated Buddha, Thailand, Mon Dvaravati, circa 8th century

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

Stone sculpture from the Mon Dvaravati period is relatively commonly found, but extant bronzes figures are much rarer. A bronze head of Buddha from the Mon Dravavati period sold in our Paris rooms, 18th December 2012, lot 74.

The Mon kingdom of Dravati, a centre of Buddhism, flourished from the 7th century to the 11th century in current day central Thailand, and was noted by the Chinese pilgrim Xuanzang in the middle of the 7th century. A distinctive style of sculpture developed there, with iconographic elements derived from India, but with a unique native style, especially to the facial features of the Buddha, where the beauty of sharply delineated eyes and stylised curling full lips is particularly apparent. These features impart an almost piercing serenity that is distinctive to Thai images from this early period of sculptural production in Southeast Asia. A Mon Dvaravati stone head of the Buddha was sold in these rooms, 8th December 2022, lot 190, from the collection of Sir Joseph Hotung.

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.