Page 52 - 2020 Nov 30 Christie's Hong Kong Important Chiense Works of Art

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A FINELY CAST GILT-BRONZE SEATED ԭ 㛶㕺㘍⿮㦉⬴ⲭচӐ
FIGURE OF AVALOKITESVARA
ϝᬝ
YUAN DYNASTY, 14TH CENTURY
ᯧஇⅧ⻦
The bodhisattva is seated in rajalilasana, the posture of royal ease, Ⴃ㿰צ೥ᇑ卿 ჺ ᝲ ᚚ卿ᐽ৅ ⽚
with his right hand resting on his raised knee and the left hand
resting on a book. His hair is swept back into a topknot beneath ㈊㮥१㙚Ꮘஶ卿ठ⭯ᐡ㑌ᆜᝢ卿ठᏛ⮥⭑㖔⧡ݯӳ厎ႚ⭯⏎ᝢ卿ႚᏛ٤
the crown accommodating the Amitabha, and long plaits cascade 㕇ڬེ޸Ԡӳ卿㧩㶂⢙㗨ᐠᙻݦ⫒卿ӳⶬ⫒・卿⭤⡑㰥჌卿Ӵⶬᯧㅗ卿
down the shoulders. The face has downcast eyes and a serene ⬍מ≄ⅷ卿・㇁㚒⤏ᜡߴⱤࢭ⡠㱈ǯ㠩㐏⤼༗卿ᯧ⏟ⴃ୍ǯ
expression. The deity wears bracelets, earrings and a beaded
݉ջ⎏⯇ஙஶ᭢ᝲ㈊㮥卿അ⊬ᝳ໬ջד۬⊶㰆ഺሻ⁞ᇨ⎏஋ᷪ㬷༏⎏⁞
necklace. A shawl is draped over the shoulders and around the
ᇨǯទཉד۬㩶᫉սം卿औᝳ㞐㘔⁋ཪ⎏⁞㿽卿ൈᒲᝢ⎏㯔㶂ࣿ㶜㶨ǯ
arms and his dhoti is tied in a bow below the waist. The hems are
ᬘ㖅ݦཉ㰍ᡟ㯸ַ⎏ד۬卿Ӭཉἃݐߧഏ⼵ࢷ⁒㱦⻦卿ⶬᙻǶᱡം㚃Ⅷ
finely detailed with incised lotus heads on scrolling foliage. ד۬Ƿ卿झ࢈卿 ჺ卿㮰 卿எ‸ ⽚厎औӬཉἃᄓ⁞ᇋ⧻ワ㱦⻦卿
8 in. (20.3 cm.) high., box
㇦ӳ㍚ᝧ卿㮰 卿எ‸ ⽚ǯ
HK$400,000-600,000 US$52,000-78,000
PROVENANCE
A French Collection sold at Christie’s Paris, 8 June 2010, lot 404
It is interesting to note that while Yuan-dynasty figures seated in
royal ease in portrayal of the Watermoon Guanyin are typically in
keeping to the earlier Song style, the present figure with its
curly hair and goatee resembles more to the images of the
ascetic Shakyamuni, a popular Buddhist imagery during
the Yuan period. Compare two similar examples from the
Yuan period depicting the ascetic Shakyamuni, the first
from the Cleveland Museum of Art, illustrated in Hai-wai
Yi-chen, 'Chinese Art in Overseas Collections, Buddhist
Sculpture', National Palace Museum, 1990, p. 171, no. 158;
and the other from the Detroit Institute of Arts, illustrated
ibid., p. 172, no. 159.

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