A FIGURE of Shiva as Lord of Music (Vinadhara, India, last quarter 10th century) estimated at $400,000 to $600,000, sold for $724,300 in September 2003, a world auction record for a Chola bronze.

A GRAY schist figure of Buddha (Gandhara, 2nd/3rd century), with an estimated value of $120,000 to $180,000, sold for $175,500 in March.

Like most of the art produced during the ancient and medieval periods, Indian, Southeast Asian and Himalayan sculpture celebrates man’s relationship with the divine. Temples and monasteries were part of daily life, and artists lavished their talents on sculptural scenes from the life of the Buddha or of colorful Hindu deities. Bronzes adorned shrines and were part of most processions. Although the subject matter is sensuous, even erotic, these works do not depict this worldly life, but the divine spirit that underlies life itself. Bodies are idealized: rounded and fluid, filled with the sacred breath of life. Faces radiate calm and wisdom. Fresh styles continued to emerge for 1,500 years, but by 1600, Islam, a religion that outlaws human images, had come to India, and the artistic focus of the region turned toward the decorative arts and designs from nature.

During the colonial period that followed, Asian temple sculpture began to find its way into Western hands. But long after Chinese and Japanese porcelain and lacquer work adorned every British country house, most Westerners viewed these works of the “other” Asia as oddities—exotic souvenirs from a heathen world. It took sharp-eyed 20th-century connoisseurs such as John D. Rockefeller and Norton Simon to recognize them as fine art—along with the infatuation of the 1960s and 1970s with Asian travel and personal swamis—to bring a significant number of collectors into the fold.

THE 10TH-century, 22-inch sandstone torso of Uma, which sold at Christie’s in March for $77,675, needed no arms or feet to be a satisfying work of art.

Acclaim Ascendant
More recently, Hollywood’s infatuation with all things Buddhist (Richard Gere, Steven Segall and others are reportedly passionate collectors of Himalayan art) has added a touch of glamour to an already burgeoning field. Prices are rising quickly: Robin Dean, head of Indian and Southeast Asian Art at Sotheby’s in New York, recalls that in the early 1990s, the Pan Asian Collection of works that New York investment banker Christian Humann had acquired in the 1950s, ’60s and ’70s achieved groundbreaking prices of over $50,000. Ten years later, those prices looked like bargains. In 1990, a 26-inch red sandstone figure of a river goddess from Rajasthan, India, created about the year 800, sold for $68,750; in 2001 it brought $226,000 at Christie’s.

Yet the best works are still significantly undervalued. London dealer John Eskenazi recently sold a rare seventh-century bronze Buddha, a joint purchase between the British Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum, for $1.5 million—near the top of the market in this field. “If it had been a Roman or Greek antiquity, or a piece of contemporary sculpture, the price would have been twice as much,” Eskenazi notes.

Doris Weiner, a New York dealer, points out another attraction: “It is not too late to amass an important collection of Indian, Southeast Asian or Himalayan art,” she says. “There are constant discoveries being made. Some of the best pieces have come on the market in the last 10 years.”

VALUE JUDGMENT Ancient sculpture from India and Southeast Asia celebrates man’s relationship with the divine. The growing number of savvy collectors are pushing up the value of these timeless pieces, once viewed as oddities from the “other” Asia.

In the area of Himalayan art, serene images of the Buddha are highly sought after. Earlier is better, and size, refinement in modeling and craftsmanship also add value. More subjectively, collectors often have a visceral reaction—good or bad—to a Buddha’s facial features. “Everybody is looking for a great image of Buddha with a subtle smile on its face,” says Eskenazi. A 19-inch, 14th-century gilt bronze Tibetan Buddha with a smile that the Christie’s catalog described as “benign” sold for $209,100 in March.

Collectors also covet the second- and third-century Buddhas made in Gandhara (present day Pakistan and Afghanistan). Looking more like Greek statesmen than spiritual beings, these stone, stucco or terra-cotta figures strike the classic poses and wear elegant quasi-Hellenic pleated tunics, yet retain the exotic, rounded quality of Indian sculpture. “Because the images are more familiar to Westerners, Gandharan sculpture is the often the gateway to this field,” explains London dealer Fabio Rossi. Also, because Gandharan sculpture has a broader collecting base than other objects in this field (due to its appeal to a Western aesthetic), competition propels exceptional pieces to great heights. Last March for example, a 62-inch gray schist Buddha, estimated to sell at Sotheby’s for $200,000 to $300,000, brought the hammer down at $736,000.

With its well-proportioned figures and classic poses, Gupta era (fourth to sixth century) Indian sculpture is also easy to appreciate, and great examples are becoming increasingly rare and pricey. A 12-inch terra-cotta head of a fifth-century Buddha is priced at $125,000 at Manhattan’s Art of the Past. Chola bronzes (9th to 13th centuries) are considered by some the high point of Indian sculpture. Their fine artisanship and dancer-like poses add to their appeal, but it does not hurt that Chola females have figures like Playboy centerfolds and are often depicted with their consorts in compromising positions. “A voluptuous female or a couple is what people want,” explains Sotheby’s Dean. A 29-inch, 11th-century bronze depicting a well-endowed goddess Pavarti recently sold for approximately $1.2 million at Carlton Rochell Gallery in New York.

Bertram Schaffner, a New York collector who has given many of his examples of Indian and Southeast Asian art to the Brooklyn Museum, finds this aspect of Indian art refreshing: “Indians accept the body,” he says. “I find it very liberating to get away from Western prudishness.” 

 While not all collectors warm up to the more exotic imagery of the period, including many-armed figures, Schaffner says he finds such figures “a very graceful way of teaching.” 

 “To me,” he explains, “the arms represent the many facets and attributes of all of us.” Other collectors find the jolly, dancing elephant-headed Ganesha a charming deity. As the god of wealth and remover of obstacles, he is welcome in any home. An 11th-century sandstone Ganesha from central India is priced at $125,000 at Art of the Past, but prices for other examples vary considerably based on the work’s age, quality and condition.

Southeast Asia’s Minimalism
Khmer sculpture, which Cambodian and Thai artists created during the same period, has a different appeal. Pared down and stylized, Khmer sculpture borders on the abstract—a fact that has not been lost on collectors of contemporary art. There is considerable crossover collecting between the two fields. “My identification with Khmer art comes through the minimalist art I collect,” says a former museum director who asked to remain anonymous. “It has the same reduced, minimal forms.”

Like most of the art produced during the ancient and medieval periods, Indian, Southeast Asian and Himalayan sculpture celebrates man’s relationship with the divine.

“Minimal” is a term that resonates with many Khmer fans. “The most sought-after pieces are 9th to 12th century, full-standing female figures,” says Dean. “But fragments can be very beautiful, very minimal. They look great next to a Rothko.” The 10th-century, 22-inch sandstone torso of Uma—one of Pavarti’s many appellations—sold at Christie’s last March for $77,675. Obviously, Uma needed no arms or feet to be a satisfying work of art. 

Photos courtesy of Christie's

Additional Information
An Atlas of Artwork
Buyer Beware