Page 94 - Important Chinese Art Sothebys March 2019

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propertY From the WILLIam BoYCe thompson CoLLeCtIon in the Qing Court Collection is illustrated in The Complete
A RARE LAPIS LAZULI FIGURE OF A BUDDHA Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum. Treasures of
Imperial Court, hong Kong, 2004, pl. 182. Compare also two
QING DYNASTY, QIANLONG PERIOD lapis figures of amitayus, the first atop a white jade lotus
base, sold at Christie’s hong Kong, 26th april 2004, lot 995,
carved seated in dhyanasana with the hands in dhyana
mudra, supporting a four-legged globular censer and cover, and the second without a stand sold in these rooms, 17th
wearing draped robes and a dhoti incised at the hems september 2014, lot 483. see also a figure of a Buddha from
with lotus and chevron borders, heightened with gilding, a the Concordia house Collection, also sold in these rooms,
necklace with a lotus pendant carved to the bare chest, all 19th march 2007.
supported on a green jade double lotus base (2) there is little doubt that lapis lazuli was prized during
height overall 7⅛ in., 18.2 cm the Qianlong period, as evidenced by a pair of Qianlong
period stone lions dyed to imitate the stone, included in
PROVENANCE the exhibition Tributes from Guangdong to the Qing Court,
Yamanaka & Co., new York. hong Kong, 1987, cat. nos 71 and 72; and a Qianlong period
american art association, 26th-27th January 1917, lot 75. lapis lazuli mountain in the asian art museum of san
Collection of William Boyce thompson (1869-1930), and Francisco, illustrated in michael Knight, he Li and terese tse
thence by descent. Bartholomew, Chinese Jades, san Francisco, 2007, pl. 354.
the present figure of a Buddha belongs to a small number $ 80,000-120,000
of votive objects carved from lapis lazuli during the 18th
century. a gilt-bronze and turquoise-inlaid shrine in the Qing
summer palace at Chengde encloses a lapis lazuli figure, 清乾隆 青金石雕佛坐像
see Buddhist Art from Rehol. Tibetan Buddhist Images and 來源
Ritual Objects from the Qing Dynasty Summer Palace at
Chengde, the Chang Foundation and Kaohsiung museum 山中商會，紐約
of Fine arts, taipei and Kaohsiung, 1999, cat. no. 81. a lapis 美國藝術聯盟，1917年1月26至27日，編號75
figure embellished with pearls and semi-precious stones William Boyce Thompson (1869-1930) 收藏，此後家族傳承

92 SOTHEBY’S Important ChInese art