Page 166 - Christie's Asian Art Auctions PARIS December 2019

ƒ208
IMPORTANTE STATUE D'AMITAYUS EN
BRONZE
CHINE, DYNASTIE MING, XVEME SIECLE
Il est représenté assis en vajrasana sur une socle
lotiforme. Ses mains reposent sur ses cuisses
en dhyanamudra. Il est paré de bijoux et vêtu d'un
dhoti, un châle sur ses épaules. Son visage est
empreint de sérénité. Ses cheveux sont ceints
d'une couronne ; petite restauration, traces de
dorure, non scellée.
Hauteur: 37,5 cm. (14æ in.)

€150,000-250,000 US$170,000-280,000
£130,000-220,000
PROVENANCE:
German private collection, 1980s, by repute.
Christie's New York, 21 March 2012, lot 796.
Property of a Southeast Asian collector
AN IMPORTANT BRONZE FIGURE OF
AMITAYUS
CHINA, MING DYNASTY, 15TH CENTURY
明十五世紀 銅無量壽佛坐像
來源：
傳1980年代為德國私人舊藏
紐約佳士得，2012年3月21日，拍品796號
東南亞藏家珍藏

This splendid fgure of Amitayus, the Buddha of
Infnite Life, is represented here in his traditional
iconography. He sits in the diamond posture
or vajrasana on a lotus base. Both hands are
placed fat on his lap in the meditation gesture,
dhyanamudra, originally supporting the vase of
elixir of immortality. He is wearing a dhoti and is
heavily bejewelled. His face is of a rather square
shape, his hair combed in a chignon and secured
with a tiara. This facial shape is common for
ffteenth century examples. In fact, the entire style
of this bronze fgure seems to be based on Yongle
and Xuande examples of the frst half of the
ffteenth century. His facial expression as well the
specifc ornamentation are characteristic features
of bronze sacred images stemming from this period.
Most likely this fne image was cast during the
second half of the ffteenth century as suggested
by the fnials of the streamers of the scarf falling to
the front of the lotus-base. This seems to be a new
stylistic feature that was introduced around the
mid-ffteenth century. Various comparable though
gilt-bronze bodhisattva examples are illustrated in
‘Buddhist Images in Gilt Metal’, Chang Foundation,
Taipei 1993, plates 32, 33 and 66 showing the
same fnials falling over the base and all dated to
the second half of the ffteenth century.

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