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3214
A GILT COPPER ALLOY CAST AND REPOUSSÉ FIGURE OF CROWNED BUDDHA
DOLONNOR, QING DYNASTY, 18TH CENTURY
Himalayan Art Resources item no.61521
14 3/8 in. (37.3 cm) high

$30,000 - 50,000

多倫諾爾 清朝 十八世紀 銅鎏金戴冠佛坐像

Preserved with its original separately cast crown, this sizable Buddha displays a
number of similarities with other sculptures attributed to the Dolonnor workshop of
Inner Mongolia. Of immediate comparison are the five-leaf crown type, jewelry, robe
arrangement, and lotus base present in two examples from the Kandell Collection
published in Rhie & Thurman, A Shrine for Tibet, New York, 2010, p.67 & 134, nos.I-110
& II-19.

The great interest shown in Tibetan Buddhism by the early Qing emperors gave rise to
a rapid expansion of Tibetan Buddhist temples along the border regions of the Qing
empire, particularly under the Qianlong emperor (r.1735-95). The present lot was most
likely produced under his reign, wherein Dolonnor became a major center of production
to meet the sudden demand for sculpture and ritual objects to adorn these temples.

Among its peers, the bronze is quite outstanding for the carefully modeled flexions within
the hands, the Buddha’s both authoritative and cheerful expression, and the bold employ
of vivid turquoise at the center of a beautifully incised Qing cloud-form mantle.

Provenance
Georgia Chrischilles, Brussels, 19 November 2003

54 | BONHAMS