Page 82 - 2021 March 18 to 19th, Important Chinese Works of Art, Christie's New York City

of the ruler as a living incarnation of a god with the Chinese
The present figure in the home of M. C. Hammonds. Photographer unknown. patronized Tibetan Buddhism simply for political reasons,
本拍品陳設於M. C. Hammonds自宅之原貌。攝影師不詳。
Fig. 2 Gilt-lacquered wood figure of Manjushri, Kangxi period (1662-1722). Sold Christie’s
Paris, 10 December 2014, lot 232.
`圖二 清康熙木漆金文殊菩薩。巴黎佳士得, 2014年12月10日, 拍品232號。
Manjushri cult. This beautiful and powerful figure is a
reflection of the religious beliefs of the early Qing emperors
and a reminder of the political importance of Tibetan
Buddhism during this period.
Although it is often said that the Qing dynasty emperors
this does not seem to have been the case with the Kangxi
emperor. He was largely brought up by his grandmother, a
Mongol princess, and was an adherent of Tibetan Buddhism.
It is probably due to her influence that the Kangxi Emperor
demonstrated a personal commitment to Buddhism. The
Kangxi Emperor and his son and grandson, the Yongzheng
and Qianlong emperors, built thirty-two Tibetan Buddhist
temples in the Beijing area alone.
In its superb quality and style, the present figure of Manjushri
relates to the celebrated gilt-bronze Buddhist figures made
during the Yongle period, such as the Yongle-marked gilt-
bronze figure in the Berti Aschmann Foundation for Tibetan
Art in the Reitberg Museum, Zurich, illustrated by H. Ulhig,
On the Path to Enlightenment, Zurich, 1995, pp. 115-16, no. 66,
and the gilt-bronze Yongle-marked figure of Manjushri sold
at Christie’s New York, 19 March 2008, lot 400. (Fig. 1) The
current figure has similar facial details, crown, lotus, jewelry
and robes to these Yongle-marked figures. Like the Yongle
figures, the present figure also holds the sword, a symbol for
overcoming darkness and ignorance, between the thumb and
forefinger (abhaya mudra), the gesture of fearlessness. Few
lacquered wood figures of Manjushri have been published
and the current figure is extremely rare for its large size. A
similar depiction of Manjushri, dating to the Kangxi period,
but of smaller size and shown seated within a tiered throne,
sold at Christie’s Paris, 10 December 2014, lot 232. (Fig.2)