Page 250 - Bonhams Fine Chinese Art Nov 2013 Hong Kong

438 438
A gilt-bronze figure of a standing scholar
439 Ming dynasty
248 | Bonhams His emaciated figure wearing loose flowing robes tied at the waist and
incised at the hems, his right hand raised with index finger pointing
upwards, his head gently turned left with eyes downcast in deep
thought, the hair bound together with a cloth cap.
19.5cm high.
HK$40,000 - 60,000
US$5,200 - 7,700

明 銅雕高士立像

439
A silver-inlaid bronze luohan
Qing dynasty
Finely cast seated on flat rockwork with the right leg curved inwards and
left leg bent, wearing loose robes with spiral scroll motifs and incised
at the hems decorated with silver inlays, his left hand holding a string
of prayer beads, the right cleaning his ears with a stick, his visage with
downcast eyes deep in thought below a bald head, the back also with a
two-character zhuanshu inscription inlaid in silver.
20.3cm high.
HK$70,000 - 90,000
US$9,000 - 12,000

清 銅胎錯銀怡然羅漢像

The imagery of the monk scratching his ears defines him as Nagasena,
the historical figure who was a Brahmin who later became a Buddhist
sage circa 150BC. He is commonly depicted, as in the current lot,
as a bald elderly monk leisurely dressed and seated on rockwork,
holding prayer beads, scratching his ear with a stick, and sometimes
accompanied by a Buddhist lion at his side. Naga is the Sanskrit name
for ‘king cobra’, ‘snake’ or ‘dragon’, and Sena means ‘army’; together
they form the name translated as ‘Army of Naga’ or ‘Host of Dragons’,
signifying a very powerful supernatural presence. His answers to
questions about Buddhism posed by the Indo-Greek King Menander I of
India (now Pakistan) are recorded in the Milinda Panha.

The imagery of Nagasena is not limited only to bronzes, but appears in
other materials as well. Compare a carved bai furong soapstone figure of
Nagasena previously from the collection of Hugh M. Moss, sold in these
rooms, The Q Collection: Exquisite Soapstones, 25 May 2011, lot 250.