Page 76 - Chiense works of art sothebys march 14 2017 nyc

This Amitayus is particularly rich in its decorative e ect. Cast
from a mold comprising several sections, its surface is entirely
covered with sumptuous gilding and inset with semi-precious
stones of various colors. The rich detailing and quality of
this large gure is consistent with the image of the Buddha
Amitayus, the Buddha of In nite Light, who radiates wisdom
and compassion and is associated with the rites of ensuring
long life. He was among the most popular deities from the
Tibetan Buddhist pantheon in the 18th century, particularly in
the Qianlong period. Emblematic of longevity, large numbers of

gures were commissioned in gilt-bronze and porcelain by the
Qianlong Emperor for the occasion of the Empress Dowager’s
60th and 70th birthdays.

In style, with its broad facial features that converge at the 1999 16
de ned nose ridge and full lips with heavy eyelids together with
full torso and narrow waist, appear to continue in the Tibetan 25
tradition that grew in popularity from the Ming dynasty. The

ve-pointed crown with its numerous spacers is a particular
characteristic of 13th century Western Tibetan sculptures.
Compare a Sino-Tibetan gure of a standing bodhisattva, with
similar face and proportioning, heavily-ornamented strands of

oral jewelry, and draped in similarly rendered robes, included
in the exhibition Buddhist Art from Rehol. Tibetan Buddhist
Images and Ritual Objects from the Qing Dynasty Summer
Palace at Chengde, The Chang Foundation, Taipei, 1999, cat.
no. 16, together with a seated Tara, cat. no. 25.

Gilt-bronze gures such as the present were likely produced Patricia Berger
for one of the Tibetan Buddhist temples or shrines within
the Forbidden City, of which some thirty- ve were built, and Empire of Emptiness Buddhist Art and Political Authority
many more across the empire during the reigns of the Kangxi,
Yongzheng and Qianlong reigns. Images of the Buddha in in Qing China 2003 96 97
his various manifestations were produced in vast quantities,

lling rooms to create a glistening and extravagant setting for
worshippers.

For personal and political reasons, the Qianlong emperor
patronized Tibetan Buddhism in the footsteps of his
grandfather and father, the Kangxi and Yongzheng emperors.
Following Kangxi’s assumption of the protectorate over
Tibet, Tibetan Buddhism reached its peak under the Qianlong
Emperor. Furthermore, the Manchu Qing ruling class had
intermarried with the Mongol tribes and had converted to
Tibetan Buddhism and as a result Tibetan politics and religion
became inextricably linked at the Qing court. Early in the
Kangxi emperor’s reign an o ce devoted solely to Tibetan
Buddhist a airs known as the O ce for the Recitation
of Sutras was set up in the Zhongzheng Dian, the Hall of
Central Uprightness established in 1697. It formed part of the
Department of Ceremonial A airs and was directly supervised
by the two o cials from the Imperial Household (Neiwufu).
Considered the center of all Tibetan Buddhist activities at the
Qing court it was from here that under the directives of Ropal
Dorje, the preceptor of the Kangxi, Yongzheng and Qianlong
emperors, Tibetan and Mongolian lamas orchestrated all
Buddhist activities, commissioning many of the works of art
and paintings that were then placed in the numerous temples
and shrines (see Patricia Ann Berger, Empire of Emptiness.
Buddhist Art and Political Authority in Qing China, Honolulu,
2003, pp. 96-97).

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