‘The true collector is an artist squared – he paints himself a collection’, said Marcel Duchamp, encapsulating the creative essence of collecting. The passion of a Swiss collector for Tibetan bronzes began during a journey to Asia with his wife in 1974. That encounter with traditional art was the start of a lifelong pursuit, followed by many further explorations in the East and a sustained engagement with Buddhist sculpture. Many of the works in his carefully chosen collection were acquired in the 1980s and early 1990s at Koller’s Asian Art auctions. Now, more than twenty pieces from this collection will be offered in Zurich – primarily early, often un-gilded sculptures from the 11th to the 15th centuries, several showing strong affinities to the Indian Pala style.

Tibetan bronzes in this style reflect the artistic influence of the Pala dynasty, which shaped northern Indian art between the 8th and 12th centuries. Their elegant proportions, high coiffures and use of eight-metal alloys testify to this cross-cultural lineage, transmitted to Tibet alongside the spread of Buddhism.

In recent years, early private Asiatica collections – many originally formed at Koller – have begun to reappear on the market. Such works attract particular interest among Asian collectors, as their authenticity is assured and they have been absent from the market for decades.

Alongside this distinguished group of Tibetan bronzes, the auction includes fine Japanese folding screens. Such screens have been known in Japan since the 7th/8th centuries. Among them, a pair of six-panel Soga Monogatari screens from the 18th century depicts episodes from the famous legend of the Soga brothers, who avenged their father’s death in 12th-century Japan. The tale, retold for centuries in various forms, has inspired countless works of Japanese art: from sculpture and woodcuts to literature and Nō and Kabuki theatre. More contemplative examples include screens of snowy landscapes, the Seven Sages in a bamboo grove, or a pheasant among autumn leaves – scenes of poetry and reflection that continue to embody the spirit of East Asian art.