Page 145 - 2019 September 10th Sotheby's Important Chinese Art Jades, Met Museum Irving Collection NYC

65 A GILT-BRONZE FIGURE OF
WEITUO
㖶ġġġ 戭 MING DYNASTY
挷 standing with the feet wide, the hands clasped in front of the
慹 chest, and the gaze directed ahead, the sturdy body elaborately
杳 dressed in a long underrobe with brocade borders, an armored
旨 knee-length tunic, and a short silk jacket tied at the chest, as
䩳 well as richly ornamented arm and shin guards, patterned
⁷ boots, a bejeweled cap secured with a ribbon, and a billowing
sash framing the Þ gure, the jacket sleeves and the hem of the
underrobe similarly blowing in the wind, the round face with wide
eyes drawn upwards at the corners, a short beard and mustache
with a short tang extending from each foot, wood stand (2)

Height 8¼ in., 21.1 cm

PROVENANCE
Eastern PaciÞ c Co., Hong Kong, 15th March 1987.
Collection of Florence (1920-2018) and Herbert (1917-2016)
Irving, no. 1863.
According to the Golden Light Sutra, Weituo is a bodhisattva
responsible for protecting the teachings of Buddhism and is the
leader of the twenty-four celestial guardian deities. Sculptures
of him are traditionally placed in front of or to the right of images
of the Buddha to serve an apotropaic function. Similar Ming
dynasty gilt-bronze Þ gures of Buddhist guardians include a pair
in the collection of the Seattle Art Museum published in Hugo
Munsterberg, Chinese Buddhist Bronzes, Rutland and Tokyo,
1967, pls 93 and 94; one in the collection of the Detroit Institute
of Arts published in Hai-wai Yi-chen: Chinese Art in Overseas
Collections: Buddhist Sculpture, vol. I, Taipei, 1986, pl. 182; and a
Þ gure of Weituo sold in these rooms, 17th September 2016,
lot 1137.
$ 12,000-15,000
Ը๕
㜙㲘⓮埴炻楁㷗炻IJĺĹĸ⸜Ĵ㚰IJĶ㖍
ἃ伭ΐ㕗ġĩIJĺijıĮijıIJĹĪġ⍲崓ỗ䈡ġĩIJĺIJĸĮijıIJķĪɀ
㫸暚ằ⃟㓞啷炻䶐嘇IJĹķĴ

CHINESE ART FROM THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART: THE FLORENCE AND HERBERT IRVING GIFT 143