Page 280 - Important Chinese Art Hong Kong April 2, 2019 Sotheby's

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AN IMPERIAL IVORY SHRINE OF 清乾隆
AVALOKITESHVARA 御製象牙雕雲龍紋十一面觀音菩薩龕
QING DYNASTY, QIANLONG PERIOD
carved as the bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara standing in a
niche framed by thin jagged rockwork resembling mountains,
an en face dragon writhing amidst ruyi-shaped clouds near
the summits above, the deity standing inside the niche
adorned with earrings and wearing a five-leaf crown, framed
with two crowned heads on each side and three above, all
surmounted by the head of Amitabha Buddha, all receding
in size from the main head, dressed in a billowing shawl and
beribboned dhoti and adorned with bejwelled accessories,
the main pair of arms held in front of the chest in namaskara
mudra with the auxilliary hands held in karana and tarjani
while holding ritual objects including a kendi, bow and arrow,
dharma wheel, lotus flower and mala beads, the reverse
carved with jagged mountains and two confronting dragons
against ruyi-shaped clouds
19.3 cm, 7⅝ in.
◉ HK$ 500,000-700,000
US$ 64,000-89,500

This shrine is remarkable for the intricacy of the carved
details, apparent in the superb rendering of the scarves
and jewellery adorning Avalokiteshvara, the fine articulation
of her fingertips and feet, and the dynamic dragon that
emerges from clouds. This dragon also endows the piece
with its imperial status, and combined with the Buddhist
figure it suggests the Qing emperors’ devotion to Buddhism
and their presiding protection over the religion.
A closely related shrine with identical iconography, from the
collection of Lü Xiaguang (1906-1994), was sold in these
rooms 8th April 2014, lot 3137. An ivory figure of a Buddha
seated on a hexagonal plinth, similarly inspired by Tibetan
prototypes and attributed to the 18th century, from the
Sir Victor Sassoon Chinese Ivory Trust, was included in
the exhibition Chinese Ivories. From the Shang to the Qing,
British Museum, London, 1984, cat. no. 121. See also an
ivory sculpture of a standing Avalokitesara illustrated in The
Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum.
Buddhist Statues of Tibet, vol. 60, Hong Kong, 2003, pl. 258.
The popularity of Esoteric Buddhism peaked during the
Qianlong period, with the emperor ordering the construction
of several shrines both within and outside the Palace, which
were then furnished with Buddhist images made from
various materials. See for example a gilt bronze sculpture
of an eight-armed Avalokitesvara holding the ritual objects,
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. 14.

278 SOTHEBY ’S IMPORTANT CHINESE ART