Page 70 - Bonhams Image of Devotion Hong Kong December 2, 2021

The sculpture was created in the artistic idiom of Jebstundampa Khutukhtu
Zanabazar (1635–1723), a Mongolian religious leader and master artist renowned
for creating a unique style that incorporates elements from Newari, Chinese,
and Pala sculptural traditions. Works in the Zanabazar style are characterized by
lustrous gilding, smooth contours, as well as perfect proportions and details, as
seen in the present figure. The fine arches of Amitayus’ brows and his aquiline
nose are also hallmarks of the Zanabazar school, as are the distinct lotus petals
modeled in the round, with broad inner petals with upturned tips on top of
identically-shaped, larger outer petals.

The current lot compares favorably to two other closely related gilt bronze figures
of Amitayus from the Zanabazar school: one preserved in The Fine Arts Zanabazar
Museum, Ulaanbaatar, with very similar facial and body types, treatments of crown
and hair, and almost identical base (HAR 50243); the other from the Collection of
Altangerel Ayurzana, depicting the deity holding a similarly-designed, long-life vase
wrapped in a piece of decorative textile with evenly arranged folds (see Ayurzana,
Treasures of Mongolian Art, 2005, pp.38-9). Also see a Zanabazar-style gilt bronze
Shadakshari with similar double-layered necklace design held in The Fine Arts
Zanabazar Museum, Ulaanbaatar (HAR 81407).

Provenance
Ex-Collection of A. S. Mochin, a former Soviet architect

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