Rix Enchères

Large impressive head of Buddha in Haripunchai style
11-13th century or later
36cm high without stand, 48cm high with stand. 24,5cm large
The Hariphunchai Kingdom is a Mon kingdom located in northern Thailand, whose capital is Lamphun.
This region has provided numerous testimonies of pre- and proto-historical occupation.
This kingdom is a root of the Mon kingdom of Dvaravati located in the central plain of Thailand, which was later conquered by the Khmer Empire.
The Mon art of Hariphunchai was then significantly influenced by the Khmer school from the 11th to the 13th century.
The Hariphunchai Kingdom was also in contact further west with the Mon kingdom of southern Burma, whose main cities were Pegu and Thathon.
All these styles, to which we must add the art of Pagan, itself strongly influenced by the art of Pala, are at the origin of a unique aesthetic: Mon Hariphunchai. (Buddhist sculpture of Northern Thailand, Stratton, p. 134).
Stucco and terracotta (Lamphon terracotta is rich in gold flakes, making it very distinctive) were the materials of choice for Hariphunchai sculptors. These high-relief statues mostly decorated the niches found in the architecture of Buddhist monuments of the period (Buddhist sculpture of Northern Thailand, Carol Stratton, p. 107).
Our piece is made of stucco. It is a high-relief head characteristic of the so-called Energetic period (11th-13th centuries).
Given its size, this head belonged to a larger-than-life statue of Shakyamuni Buddha, depicted either in a seated or standing position, according to Hariphunchai's own iconography.
Three periods determined the evolution of Hariphunchai art:
The first phase of development, from the 10th to the 11th century, was dominated by the influence of Dvaravati art.
The second phase, known as the energetic style, was influenced by Man and Khmer art from the 11th to the early 13th century.
The third and final phase, known as the mature phase, was influenced by the 13th century.

Commission fees of only 20% + inhouse shipment available