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A RARE AND LARGE BRONZE FIGURE OF HEVAJRA IN YABYUM, ANGKOR PERIOD, BAYON STYLE Expert’s note: Many bronze images of Hevajra were made during the reign of Jayavarman VII lasting between 1181 and 1218, but only very few Khmer images of Hevajra in the ecstatic embrace of his consort Nairatmya are recorded in public or private collections, making the present lot an extremely rare example. Khmer Empire, late 12th to early 13th century. Well cast as Hevajra in yabyum with his consort Nairatmya, his 16 arms radiating around the body, the right hands holding 7 animals including an elephant, a bull, a lion, and a seated figure of a human, the left hands holding 8 seated humanoid figures, standing atop a prostrate figure, dressed in a short sampot secured by a belt and with long fish-tail shaped flange falling between the legs, the reverse with a butterfly shaped element, bejeweled, his head consisting of 8 faces all with incised ridged eyebrows set above incised almond-shaped eyes, broad lips and elongated earlobes with pendeloque earrings. Provenance: From the collection of René Ronveaux (d. 1991), Belgium, probably acquired during the 1980s in the Luxembourg or Belgian trade, and thence by descent to Robert Ronveaux (b. 1955). A copy of a provenance statement, written and signed by Robert Ronveaux, dated 11 September 2023, confirming the above, accompanies this lot. Condition: Good condition, commensurate with age. Extensive wear, signs of weathering and erosion, casting flaws, nicks, scratches, touchups, possibly small repairs, and minuscule losses, all as expected. The bronze has a rich, naturally grown patina with vibrant malachite encrustations. Weight: 5.5 kg (incl. stand) Dimensions: Height 39 cm (excl. stand) and 45.4 cm (incl. stand) Mounted on an associated modern stand. (2) Hevajra was an important figure signaling the practice of Buddhist rituals. King Jayavarman VII placed particular emphasis on Hevajra during consecration rituals and set up a colossal stone sculpture of dancing Hevajra at the east gate of his fortified city in the Khmer capital at Angkor. During the reign of Jayavarman VII, tantric Buddhism became public and widespread, practiced together with other more mainstream forms of Buddhism, Hinduism, and ancestor worship. According to the Hevajra tantra, the deity is holding in his left hands humanoid figures that represent the cosmic aspects of Hevajra, which are the Indic Gods of Wealth, Death, Sun, Moon, Fire, Wind, Water and Earth. His right hands are holding seven animals and one human, including a bull, lion, cat, camel, goat, horse, and elephant. It would appear that some hand-held attributes of Khmer Hevajra images were changed to match the local fauna, such is the case for the camel which sometimes was substituted for a tiger as camels were unknown in many areas of Southeast Asia. Literature comparison: For a related bronze figure of Hevajra in yabyum with his prajna Nairatmya, dated twelfth century, 23 cm high, see Spink, 1998, p. 16, no. 25, illustrated by Emma C. Bunker and Douglas Latchford, Adoration and Glory, The Golden Age of Khmer Art, p. 400, fig. 16.4. Compare a related bronze figure of Hevajra, dated 12th-13th century, 30.8 cm high, in the Museum of Asian Art, Berlin, identification number II 1138. Compare a related bronze figure of Hevajra surrounded by Yoginis, dated c. 1200, 46 cm high, in the Cleveland Museum of Art, accession number 2011.143. Auction result comparison: Type: Closely related Auction: Christie’s New York, 23 September 2004, lot 57 Price: USD 31,070 or approx. EUR 46,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing Description: A bronze figure of a dancing Hevajra, Khmer, Angkor period, Bayon style, late 12th/early 13th century Expert remark: Compare the closely related modeling, manner of casting, and malachite patina. Note the smaller size (24 cm). Auction result comparison: Type: Closely related Auction: Galerie Zacke, Vienna, 9 March 2023, lot 220 Price: EUR 33,800 Description: A bronze figure of a dancing Hevajra, Angkor Period, Bayon style Expert remark: Compare the closely related modeling with similar pose and the same number of heads and arms, and malachite patina. Note the size (37.5 cm).

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Bronze