Page 18 - 2019 September 10th Sotheby's Important Chinese and Tibetan Buddhist Art, New York

16 SOTHEBY’S NEW YORK 10 SEPTEMBER 2019 BODIES OF INFINITE LIGHT

302 A GILT-BRONZE FIGURE OF AMITAYUS

QING DYNASTY, 17TH / 18TH CENTURY

seated in vajraparyankasana with the hands held in dhyana
mudra and supporting a bumpa containing the elixir of longevity,
the face with a serene expression framed by an ornate foliate
five-point tiara set to either side with a billowing upswept sash,
wearing a dhoti with finely chased foliate borders draped about
the legs in soft, rhythmic folds, raised on a double-lotus base,
sealed with a copper plate incised with a vishvavajra

Height 7¼ in., 18.5 cm
PROVENANCE
The Chang Foundation Collection.

LITERATURE
Jintongfo zaoxiang tulu/Buddhist Images in Gilt Metal, Taipei,
1993, pl. 19.
Bronze depictions of the Buddha of Infinite Life typically
include the ritual vessel bumpa held in the deity’s hands, as
seen on the present example. During Buddhist rituals these
vessels were filled with sacred flowers or peacock feathers,
as it was believed they had the power to cleanse evil from
the hearts of practitioners. The vases were also used during
longevity rituals, whereby the vase was filled with water
that could be consecrated and transformed into an elixir of
immortality by devotees who evoked Amitayus’ name.
清十七 / 十八世紀 銅鎏金無量壽佛坐像
來源
鴻禧美術館收藏
出版
《金銅佛造像圖錄》，台北，1993年，圖版19

$ 20,000-30,000