Page 276 - Christie's Fine Chinese Paintings March 19 2019 Auction

ANOTHER PROPERTY
1780
A GILT-BRONZE SEATED FIGURE OF A BODHISATTVA
QIANLONG SEVEN-CHARACTER CAST MARK AND OF THE PERIOD
(1736-1795)
The fgure shown seated on a lotus pedestal holding a faming pearl wears The inscription ri guang tian on the front of the base below the reign mark
a fowing dhoti, intricately incised with foral diaper borders, and a fve-point identifes the present fgure as Suryaprabha, who symbolizes the light of the
crown behind which rises a tiered topknot. The fesh areas are cold gilded and sun and is usually shown fanking the Medicine Buddha, accompanied by his
the hair is painted blue, with the face detailed in red, black and white pigment. counterpart Chandraprabha, representing the light of the moon.
The reign mark, Da Qing Qianlong nian jing zao, is cast in relief in a rectangle on
the front of the pedestal above the characters, ri guang tian, and an inscription The inscription on the reverse of the base reading wu shang yin ti gen ben
on the reverse reads wu shang yin ti gen ben. The base is sealed with a copper may be translated as ‘central to the female continual study of yoga tantra.’
plate base engraved with a double vajra.
This well-cast fgure belongs to a set that was in the Baoxiang lou, a former
7¡ in. (18.9 cm.) high
palace and temple of the Qianlong Emperor’s mother. Numerous fgures
from this set, most of which are also inscribed with Qianlong reign marks
$15,000-25,000
as well as the names of divinities and other high personages, are illustrated
by W. E. Clark, Two Lamaistic Pantheons, New York, 1965, while four other
PROVENANCE fgures from the set are illustrated in The Many Faces of Buddha, Oglethorpe
Private collection, Sonoma, California. University Art Gallery, Atlanta, Georgia, 1986, pp. 48-49, no. 18.
A very similar fgure from this set depicting Jnanaketu was sold at Christie’s
New York, 21 September 2005, lot 105. See, also, a comparable fgure from
the same set, but depicting Vajrasattva, which was sold at Christie’s New
York, 22 March 2007, lot 215.
清乾隆 鎏金銅日光天菩薩坐像 「大清乾隆年敬造」七字鑄款