Page 169 - Sotheby's Fine Chinese Art NYC September 2023

Avalokiteshvara is known as the ‘Protector of the World’ and The present figure is unusual for the naturalistic coloration of
is the subject of the twenty-fourth chapter of the Lotus Sutra the body which has been painted with a flesh-like powdered
in which he is described as one who looks in all directions in pink enamel, distinguishing it from popular gilded examples
order to save all beings from suffering. He communicates simulating gilt-bronze. A related figure said to have come
with the Buddha Amitabha and legends claim that he was from the Imperial Palace, was included in the Exhibition
born from a ray of light emanating from the right eye of of Chinese Arts, Messrs. C.T. Loo & Co., New York, 1941,
Amitabha. While in some cultures Avalokiteshvara presented cat. no. 750. Compare also a similar model to the present
as male, in China the deity assumed a female identity. lot, although smaller in size, formerly in the collection of
An avid follower of Tibetan Buddhism, the Qianlong Emperor Sir Augustus Wollaston Franks, now in the British Museum,
associated this compassionate savior with the Tibetan London (accession no. Franks.582.+).
spiritual leaders including the Dalai Lamas who were believed
to be Avalokiteshvara in human form. Compare two similar figures of Amitayus sold at auction.
The first, in these rooms, 23rd March 2011, lot 729; the
The adoration of brightly colored deities has a very long second from the J.M. Hu Collection, sold at Christie’s
tradition in Tibetan Buddhism and the wide color range New York, 23rd September 2022, lot 918.
available in the famille-rose palette made porcelain an
ideal medium to create such Buddhist figures. However,
the making of such figures required the highest level of
workmanship due to the complicated modeling and repeated
firings necessary to achieve the perfect result. Hence the
number of figures produced remained small and were mainly
for the temples of the imperial palace precincts. The present
figure was likely one of a set commissioned for an imperial
birthday or celebration. Interestingly, the character shi, the
numeral ‘ten’, both inscribed and incised to the figure and its
stand likely refer to a numbering system for its placement in
a specific order and location within a set.

334 SOTHEBY’S COMPLETE CATALOGUING AVAILABLE AT SOTHEBYS.COM/N11275