Page 138 - Nov. 27, 2019 Christie's Important Works of Art HK

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A GILT-BRONZE STANDING FIGURE OF The treatment of robes with concentric folds, as seen on the present lot,
is known as 'Udayana' style; it is believed that robed images of Maitreya
MAITREYA AND STAND originated from the kingdom of Udayana which is now known as Swat
Valley in Pakistan. These figures, with hands in abhaya and varada
QIANLONG PERIOD (1736-1795)
mudras, signified the coming salvation of all sentient beings, and were
The Buddha Maitreya is cast standing on a separately cast lotus increasingly popular in gilt bronze form in China during the Northern
plinth with the right hand raised in abhaya mudra and the left hand Wei period (386-534) as Buddhism spread to East Asia through
the Silk Road. One large Northern Wei example is in the collection
held in varada mudra, wearing elaborately pleated robes. There is
of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, illustrated by D. P.
a serene expression to the face and his intricately incised hair is
Leidy & D. Strahan, Wisdom Embodied: Chinese Buddhist and Daoist
surmounted by a high domed ushnisha with gold discs. Sculpture in The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 2010, p. 59.
10‰ in. (27.5 cm.) high This iconic image of Maitreya continued to be appreciated throughout
the dynasties after the Northern Wei period. An example dated to the
HK$600,000-800,000 US$77,000-100,000 Yuan Dynasty is in the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, illustrated by
R. Jacobsen, The Asian Galleries, Minneapolis, 1982, p. 22. Another
PROVENANCE example was sold at Sotheby's New York, 21 September 2007, lot 24,
Guy Kaufmann (1923-2010) Collection, France then again at Sotheby's Hong Kong, 3 October 2017, lot 3135. Also see
a large Xuande mark and period gilt-bronze standing Buddha at the
Musée Cernuschi, museum no. M.C. 686. It has been suggested by
᪺̗㡳 㛶㕺㘍ཾؼη⒥Ӑ㐨༄ some scholars that figures with a rounded collar as seen on the present
lot indicates later production in the Qing period; see Jin, S. ‘Hanzang
fojiao zhong de zhangtan ruixiang (Sandalwood auspicious images in
ϝᬝ Sino-Tibetan Buddhism)’ in Wenwu Chunqio, 2005(4), p. 40.
ᯧஇ (VZ ,BVGNBOO卻 卼Ⅷ⻦
Of Swiss origin, Guy Kaufmann (1923 – 2010) was an avid art
collector living in Paris whose area of focus was South East Asian and
Himalayan art. He actively collected from the 1970s to 1990s acquiring
items from reputable French dealers and was advised by Jean-Michel
Beurdeley among others. Parts of his collection were donated to the
Musée Guimet; he was awarded the French Legion of Honour for his
contributions.

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