5 minutes with… A 900-year-old Indian Pala-period statue
Specialist Leiko Coyle discusses an ‘incredible’ life-size figure of a Buddhist deity — which sold for $24,663,500 in New York, setting a new world record for a South Asian work of art
A large and important black stone figure of Lokanatha (Avalokiteshvara), northeastern India, Pala period, 12th century. 58 inches (147.4 cm) high. Sold for $24,663,500 in Himalayan, Indian and South East Asian Art on 14 March at Christie’s in New York
‘What any image fails to convey,’ says the specialist, ‘is the sheer monumentality of this Lokanatha. Everyone who has seen it has been astonished by it.’ Exceptionally detailed, the carved black stone — identified as schist, familiar to the region of Northeastern India — could easily be mistaken for polished onyx or bronze.
The work’s history is just as impressive. ‘The most remarkable thing about this sculpture, besides its quality and sheer size, is its provenance,’ says Coyle. Held in a private European collection since 1976, the sculpture has been unseen for 40 years. Prior to that, the work formed the foundation of one of the first collections of Indian art in America, established at Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts in 1922 by the pioneering curator Ananda Coomaraswamy.
‘This is a sculpture of extraordinary significance. It’s so old and has such an illustrious history — it’s something we feel really blessed to handle,’ says Coyle. ‘I feel lucky every time I see it.’