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Torso of Buddha, Kingdom of Ayutthaya, '1350-1767', 17th Century

About the Item

Torso of Buddha Kingdom of Ayutthaya (1350-1767), 17th century. Carved sandstone, height (including base) 64 cm. Provenance: The Sassoon Family Collection, Lausanne, Switzerland; where acquired by the present owner. The attribution is based on similar examples of Ayutthaya scupture. Wonderfully simplistic, the only ornamentation this torso displays are the incised lines to denote the monastic robe draped over one shoulder and a narrow sash ending in a neat pleat. Carved from a single block of buff colored sandstone, this torso would originally have been part of a larger statue. The head, legs and hands would have been carved separately, then joined to form the full figure. Given the placement of the arms, the Buddha was likely seated with legs crossed and hands in Bhumisparsha. It was made in Ayutthaya. From 1350-1767, the city of Ayutthaya served as the second capital of the Kingdom of Siam (modern day Thailand). Of ideal location at the confluence of three rivers, it prospered, becoming a global center for trade between the Eastern and Western hemispheres. In 1767 the city was abandoned after being razed by the Burmese army. It dissolved into ruin and is now an archeological site. Palaces, Buddhist monasteries, temples, prang (or reliquary towers), monumental statues and architectural fragments are all that remain of a once splendid city. A Note on Provenance: The Sassoon family, known as "Rothschilds of the East" due to the great wealth they accumulated, is of Baghdadi Jewish descent and international renown. It was based in Baghdad, Iraq, before moving to Bombay, India and then spreading to China, England, and other countries. It is said that the family descended from the Shoshans, one of the families of the Iberian Peninsula. From the 18th century, the Sassoons were one of the wealthiest families in the world, with a merchant Empire spanning the continent of Asia. Sassoon ben Salih (1750-1830) and his family were the chief treasurers to the pashas of Baghdad and Southern Iraq. His son David (1792-1864) fled from a new and unfriendly wali, going first to the Persian Gulf port of Bushehr in 1828 and then to Bombay, India, in 1832, with his large family. In Bombay, he built the international business called David S. Sassoon, with the policy of staffing it with people brought from Baghdad. They filled the functions of the various branches of his business in India, Burma, Malaya, and East Asia. His business extended to China, where Sassoon House (now the north wing of the Peace Hotel) on the Bund in Shanghai became a noted landmark, and then to England. In each branch, he maintained a rabbi. His wealth and munificence were proverbial; his philanthropy across Asia included the building of schools, orphanages, hospitals, and museums. On his death, tributes to him were made from across the continent by Muslims, Christians, Parsees, Jews, and Hindus. Sassoon's eight sons also branched out in many directions. Elias Sassoon had established Sassoon Cattaui Investment Holding (later, Providence Group), a privately-owned family hedge fund with Moise Cattaui in 1961 in Switzerland with assets from the Sassoon Family Trust, which had been formed in Lausanne, Switzerland in 1910. It is said that at the time of formation of the Fund, the total value of assets under management in 1961 was £25million. It is rumored that at the time of Elias Sassoon’s death, the Fund, which is not required to file its financials with the SEC had over $100 billion of assets under management, most of which are assets of both the Sassoon and Cattaui families.

Dimensions:

Height: 25.2 in (64 cm)Width: 15.75 in (40 cm)Depth: 8.67 in (22 cm)

Style:

Minimalist (Of the Period)

Materials and Techniques:

Sandstone,Carved

Place of Origin:

Thailand

Period:

17th Century

Date of Manufacture:

circa 1650