Sotheby’s is honoured to present a selection of Buddhist bronze figures from the collection of Nitta Muneichi (1912-2006), arguably the most esteemed collector of Buddhist images of the twentieth century. Born in Taipei as Peng Kai-dong, Nitta left for Japan as an adolescent and later took on a Japanese name. He became a highly successful businessman with a company covering a wide range of different industries including an antique shop on Ginza in Tokyo which he opened after the Second World War. In 1950, Nitta began collecting Buddhist bronzes, which would eventually became his main collecting interest. A seminal exhibition of his collection was held at the National Palace Museum, Taipei in 1987 (The Crucible of Compassion and Wisdom) and, in 2003, three hundred and fifty-eight of his remarkable bronzes from East, Southeast and South Asia were formally gifted to the National Palace Museum, which exhibited them in 2004 (The Casting of Religion. A Special Exhibition of Mr. Peng Kai-dong’s Donation), many of which bear a close resemblance to the present offering. Supplemented by a further donation of forty-eight pieces to the Museum after his death, the Nitta collection represents the core holding of Buddhist statuary art at the Museum and is practically unrivalled for its breadth, depth and quality. Figures from the Nitta Collection are virtually unprecedented on the market. The superb gilt-bronze seated figure of Avalokiteshvara from the Dali Kingdom was later sold from the collection of Sir Joseph Hotung in our Hong Kong rooms, in October 2022, while much of the remaining collection has been preserved in the family ever since Nitta’s passing. On the market for the first time, the present selection exemplifies Nitta’s exacting eye, encyclopedic understanding of the field, and remarkable taste. Now ready to be dispersed to dedicated collectors across the globe, these figures stand as testament to a true icon of the field; a scholar and collector of unrivalled stature.

Property from the Nitta Collection

Explore scholars’ objects through the eyes of Ulrich Hausmann (1947-2023)

Property from the Hausmann Collection

Explore the beauty of Buddhist art spanning the continent across millennia

Arts of the Buddha

London

Senior Vice President | International Specialist and Head of Sale, Himalayan Art

Julian King

Associate Specialist & Researcher | Chinese Works of Art

Samson Kunin

Sale Coordinator 

Tiffany Po

Meet our Specialists

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Sotheby’s is honoured to present its annual online sale of Asian Art led by sixteen devotional sculptures from the collection of Nitta Muneichi (1912-2006), arguably the greatest collector of Buddhist figures of the modern era. Also included are rare examples of Tibetan thangkas; Gandharan stone sculpture originally acquired from Isao Kurita; bronze scholars’ objects from the legendary collection of Ulrich Hausmann; and a group of rare Qingbai figures from the Williams Collection.

Asian Art / 5000 Years, including Property from the Nitta Collection