Page 402 - Chinese Works of Art Chritie's Mar. 22-23 2018
P. 402
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A GILT-BRONZE FIGURE OF MANJUSHRI
18TH CENTURY
The bodhisattva sits in dhyanasana on a double-lotus base, holding aloft a faming sword in his raised right
hand and a lotus stem in his left. He is clad in a voluminous dhoti and adorned with sashes and jewelry. The
face is serene in expression and surmounted by a foliate tiara in front of the braided chignon.
13Ω in. (34.3 cm.) high
$40,000-60,000
This impressive and dynamic gilt-bronze fgure of Manjushri is rare for the virtuosity of the casting
technique and the expressive vitality of the fgure itself. Displaying a fne attention to detail in the
treatment of the robes and jewelry, the fgure is also depicted with supple proportions that characterize
the fnest 18th century Chinese fgures. Compare the modeling of the fgure in particular with the
famous gilt-bronze fgure of a bodhisattva in the collection of the Newark Museum (50.146), illustrated
by V. Reynolds in From the Sacred Realm: Treasures of Tibetan Art from the Newark Museum, New York,
1999, p. 226, cat. no. 130.
清十八世紀 鎏金銅文殊菩薩坐像
(another view)
400