A highly important gilt copper Maitreya inset with silver and semi-precious stones Tibet, 13th century

seated in vajraparyankasana with hands held before the heart in dharmachakra mudra, the bodhisattva's torso swaying gracefully to his right with head gently inclined, wearing bodhisattva jewelry and a sumptuous crown, all exquisitely inset with silver beading, lapis lazuli, coral and turquoise, with the face and hair painted in accordance with Tibetan tradition, a small tang protruding from the hair behind the central crown leaf for the location of a now missing miniature stupa, the emblem of Maitreya, a now missing flower at the left shoulder formerly supporting the water pot, Maitreya's second attribute, the one flower, in conjunction with the tang in the hair, confirming the iconography as Maitreya; Manjushri, and very rarely Vajradhara, may be depicted with hands in dharmachakra mudra but both would hold two lotus flowers, and neither would have an emblem in the hair

Claude de Marteau, acquired in the 1970's.

Extremely good condition with minimum wear to the gilding. Some accretion, most likely from butter lamp smoke and incense. A few pieces of semi-precious stone inlay missing. The white of the true left eye has been over painted, but could easily be improved upon. The lotus flower, separately cast, is missing, its attachment visible on the upper left arm, the separately cast miniature stupa in the hair now missing, a small tang remaining. The statue, hollow within, with tangs protruding from the underside for attachment to a separately made, now missing, pedestal. The silver beading inlaid to the crown and necklace now tarnished grey/black. No restoration.
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During the thirteenth century the Tibetans embarked on an extensive program of monastery construction and refurbishment funded by wealthy landowners, kings and religious leaders. The Newar artists from the neighboring kingdom of Nepal were famed for their exquisite aesthetic sense and foundry skills, and were much in demand to build and decorate the new Tibetan monasteries. This exceptional statue of Maitreya, the Buddha of the Future, is the quintessential example of Nepalese artistic influence in Tibet at this time, and is evidence of the absolute mastery of the Newar artists. The image is amongst the very finest Buddhist sculptures to have survived from the period, and to have survived in such pristine condition. The rich gilding is almost entirely intact with a soft sheen and subtle hue. The jewelry is quite superb, retaining original inset semi-precious stones of fabulous colour. The Newar sculptural aesthetics of grace and sensuous modeling imbue the statue with serenity, while the Tibetan love for opulence is seen in the depth and variety of color in the jewels and the sumptuous silver beading of the necklace and crown. Fine coral and turquoise are amongst the most highly prized gems in Tibet, worn by both men and women and offered as adornment to the Gods. The combination of coral, turquoise and lapis lazuli is not seen in the jewelry of statues made in Nepal where garnet and emerald colors are used in combination with light turquoise blue and the midnight blue of lapis, often colored glass. The renowned circa twelfth century Rockefeller Indra from Nepal perfectly illustrates the Newar aesthetic, and is the immediate precursor of the style of the Tibetan Maitreya, see P. Pal, Nepal: Where the Gods are Young, 1975, p. 116, no. 87; note the similar style of necklace pendants, the inset lozenge-shaped lapis of the crown bands, and the method of attaching the separately cast lotus flower to the upper arm, the flower stem and blossom missing in both cases. Compare also the sculptural volumes and many details featured on an important twelfth or thirteenth century Nepalese gilt copper bodhisattva, now in the Asia Society Museum's Mr. and Mrs. John D. Rockefeller III Collection, ibid p. 40, no 21. The lapis beak of the Garuda head in the central leaf of Maitreya's crown is a hallmark of the finest Newar sculpture of this period, cf. an important Nepalese circa twelfth century gilt copper Vajracharya crown inset with pearls and semi-precious stones, see Vickie C. Byrd, Kathy A. Hamilton, Nancy R. Johnson, eds, Tibet: Treasures from the Roof of the World, The Bowers Museum of Cultural Art, 2003, p. 120, no. 51.

Up to the thirteenth century the principal influence on the development of the Tibetan sculptural tradition had been the bronzes of medieval eastern India, with numerous examples having been brought to Tibet from the motherland of Buddhism. However, spiritual and artistic contact with India waned following the virtual demise of Indian Buddhism in the twelfth century, brought about by Muslim invasions. Thus, up to this point Tibetan artistic taste had to a great degree been inspired by spectacular Pala bronzes, which were for the most part not gilded but often inlaid with copper and silver, and frequently inset with brightly colored stones to complement the metal inlay; for an exceptional eleventh or twelfth century Pala bronze Maitreya inlaid with turquoise, copper and silver, preserved in Tibet almost certainly from around the twelfth century, see Kulturstiftung Ruhr Essen Villa H¿gel, Tibet: Kl¿ster ¿ffnen ihre Schatzkammern, Essen, 2006, pp. 247-53, no. 32. When the Newar artists were commissioned en masse in Tibet in the thirteenth century they brought their mastery of fire gilding to the mix, added to their finesse in subtle and sensuous sculpture. The resulting bronzes were often both inset with brightly colored stones and silver, as the Pala bronzes often were, and richly gilded like almost all indigenous Nepalese bronzes, thus producing an amalgamation of stylistic elements that is uniquely Tibetan of this period and embodied in this magnificent Maitreya Buddha. The style choices made by Tibetan patrons were no burden for the ultimately adaptable Newar artists. Anike (1245-1306), the celebrated artistic genius from the Kathmandu valley, was appointed Chief of All Artisan Classes in the Imperial Workshops by the Chinese Yuan dynasty emperor Kubilai Khan (1215-1294). His work would have been required to please Mongol aesthetic taste, a far cry from the traditions of his native Kathmandu valley. Anike, amongst a band of some sixty to eighty of the best Newar artists from Nepal, was originally summoned to Sakya monastery in Tibet by the hierarch Phakpa (1235-1280), with instructions to build a stupa in memory of his predecessor, the great Sakya Pandita. From there the artist was persuaded to accompany Phakpa to the Yuan dynasty court where he was recognized for his brilliance and invested with numerous titles. The skills of the Newar artists are legendary and their signature is stamped throughout Tibetan and Chinese art from this period onwards. The fabulous Yongle and Xuande bronzes, perhaps the crowning glory of Chinese Ming dynasty Buddhist art, bear a direct link with the Newar traditions introduced in the thirteenth century to Tibet and China by the master artist Anike and his entourage. And this highly important thirteenth century gilt bronze Maitreya is the quintessential example of Anike's international Newar style in Tibet. The Maitreya may be compared only with the very finest examples of Newar sculpture produced for the Tibetans, such as the renowned thirteenth century Avalokitesvara in the Victoria and Albert Museum, see Ulrich von Schroeder, Indo-Tibetan Bronzes, Hong Kong, 1981, p. 356, pl. 94B, and a fabulous thirteenth century four-armed Manjushri in the Cleveland Museum of Art, see ibid. p. 357, pl. 94D.

Maitreya's status in the Buddhist canon is paramount for he embodies the enduring hope for the salvation of all sentient beings. The bodhisattva personifies the principal Buddhist tenet of compassion, clearly portrayed in Maitreya's divine countenance, his princely paradisian status evident in regal jewelry and resplendent celestial presence.