Page 98 - Bonhams IMages of Devotion, Hong Kong Nov 30 2022

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A GILT LACQUER COPPER ALLOY FIGURE OF AVALOKITESHVARA
DALI KINGDOM, CIRCA 12TH CENTURY
Himalayan Art Resources item no. 4727
17.5 cm (6 7/8 in.) high

HKD600,000 - 800,000
大理國 約十二世紀 銅漆金觀音像

This elegant figure from the Dali Kingdom depicts Avalokiteshvara of the Moon
and Sun, indicated by the two discs held in the bodhisattva’s raised hands. Its
remaining attributes, which include a seal, a ritual weapon, and a willow branch
pair with a bowl, recall many of the attributes typically held by the Thousand-
armed form of Avalokiteshvara, first appearing as early as the Tang dynasty (for
reference, see a painting from Dunhuang, dated between the late 9th and early
10th centuries and now in the British Museum, 1919,0101,0.35).

Attesting to this exceptionally rare iconography of the six-armed form of
Avalokiteshvara are two other known sculptures: a large stone statue from the
Dazu Cave Grottoes in Sichuan, dated between 1142 and 1148 to the Southern
Song dynasty (1127-79, see Dazu Shiku, 1984, pl. 34), and a small silver six-
armed figure sharing identical attributes from the neighboring Kingdom of Dali
in Yunnan (937-1253, published in, Yunnan Provincial Museum, 1991, p. 199,
no. 14). Based on their geographical proximity to one another, it is likely that this
unique form of Avalokiteshvara enjoyed worship within these adjacent territories
around the 12th century. That being said, its attribution to the Dali Kingdom (937-
1253) is more probable, as this gilt bronze’s three-headed form signals a tradition
separate from the single-faced statue at Dazu. Furthermore, its subsidiary faces,
which are wrathfully depicted with hair standing on ends, furrowed brows, and flat,
bulbous noses, closely relate in style to a large Mahakala figure sold at Bonhams,
Hong Kong, 3 October 2017, lot 10 as well as an enraged demon subdued by a
fierce guardian in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (2001.77, published
in Leidy, ed.,Wisdom Embodied: Chinese Buddhist and Daoist Sculpture in the
Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2010, p. 134-5, no. 31).

Further stylistic parallels to Yunnanese images include the present work’s peaceful,
feminine features and roundel medallion necklace, bearing close similarity to a
bodhisattva illustrated in the Bhaisajyaguru Assembly section of the Dali Kingdom
Buddhist Scroll (attributed to Zhang Shengwen, c. 1163-89, published in Chapin,
A Long Roll of Buddhist Images, 1970, pl. 28 & 29). Moreover, its scarf and
central medallion, which are shared with the present lot, are also similar to a
Thousand-Armed Avalokiteshvara with a closely-shaped crown, slender limbs, and
physiognomy in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (556.23, published in
Leidy, ed., 2010, p. 138-140, no. 33). Based on this analysis, the following work’s
juxtaposition of both wrathful and peaceful depictions into one single deity stands
as a rare testament to the artistic and esoteric traditions within the Dali Kingdom.
Provenance
Acquired by Mr. Jean Alazard, military and police officer in French Indochina
in 1956
Thence by descent

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