Page 222 - Christie's, NYC Important Chinese Works Of Art Sept. 22-23, 2022

PROPERTY FROM A DISTINGUISHED COLLECTION
918
A RARE LARGE FAMILLE ROSE FIGURE OF AMITAYUS Amitayus is known as the ‘Buddha of Infinite Light’ and the ‘One who grants
QIANLONG PERIOD (1736-1795) long life’. The deity is seen here in a classic representation seated in the lotus
Seated in dhyanasana on a lotus base and with hands in dhyanamudra position (dhyanasana), with the hands held in meditation supporting a vessel
supporting a vase containing a flaming lotus, the figure is dressed in a yellow (kalasha), which holds the elixir of immortality. As one of the most popular
dhoti and green shawl with yellow dots left open at the chest to expose the deities from the Tibetan Buddhist pantheon, images of Amitayus found great
elaborately jeweled necklace. The blue-enameled hair is pulled up into a high favor with the emperor Qianlong.
jeweled chignon behind a five-point crown and trails down onto the shoulders.
The base is inscribed in black with the characters yi (one) and si (four), and the Similar famille rose figures of Amitayus of comparable size were produced
base of the figure is carved with a character, possibly reading yi (one). with flesh-tone bodies, like the present example, or with gilt bodies. They
With base: 11¬ in. (29.5 cm.) high appear on two different types of bases: a pink-enameled double-lotus base,
as seen here, or a multi-colored lotus base. A flesh-toned example on a
multi-colored base is illustrated in Exhibition of Chinese Arts, Messrs C. T.
$150,000-250,000 Loo & Co., New York, 1941-1942, no. 750, and a gilt-bodied version on a pink-
enameled base was sold at Christie’s London, 9 November 2004, lot 194.
PROVENANCE:
The J. M. Hu (1911-1995), Zande Lou Collection.
Ceramic Buddhist images of such unusually large size are extremely rare,
and were probably specifically commissioned for ritual display in temples
situated within the imperial palace precincts. For instance, figures of
顯赫珍藏
Amitayus were made for the Zhongzhendian, The Hall of Purity, where the
清乾隆 粉彩無量壽佛坐像 deity was mainly worshipped. The Hall was used for ritual celebration during
birthdays of empress dowagers or emperors. Qianlong was also known
來源:
to have commissioned a large number of cyclically-marked gilt-bronze
暫得樓胡惠春（1911-1995）珍藏 Amitayus figures as gifts to his mother, the Empress Dowager, who was a
devout Buddhist, in commemoration of her sixtieth and seventieth birthdays.
Figures of Amitayus were are often depicted in groups of nine, since ‘nine’ is
a homophone for ‘eternity’.
As part of this tradition, the present figure was likely one of a set
commissioned for an imperial birthday or celebration. Interestingly, a
character, likely the numeral ‘one’, is carved within the aperture on the top
of the base of this example, and may refer to a numbering system for its
placement in a specific order and location within the set.

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