Page 30 - 2019 September 10th Sotheby's Important Chinese and Tibetan Buddhist Art, New York

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

307 A GILT-BRONZE FIGURE OF AMITAYUS

QING DYNASTY, KANGXI PERIOD

cast in vajraparyankasana with the hands holding a bumpa whilst
clasped in dhyana mudra, the blue-pigmented hair swept up in
an elaborate double knot with loose curling tresses falling on the
shoulders, a five-point diadem with traces of red pigment and
tied with billowing ribbons crowning the regal brow, with heavy
earrings and elaborate jewelry adorning the body, limbs, and
feet, a celestial sash wrapped about the shoulders and arms, the
dhoti secured about the waist with a jeweled belt and gathered
in neat folds at the hem, all supported on a double-lotus base
sealed with a copper plate inscribed with a vishvavajra

Height 9⅛ in., 23.2 cm
PROVENANCE
The Chang Foundation Collection.

LITERATURE
Jintongfo zaoxiang tulu/Buddhist Images in Gilt Metal, Taipei,
1993, pl. 18.
Amitayus, the Buddha of Infinite Life, is considered an
apparitional form of the Buddha Amitabha; both are
typically depicted with red skin in paintings and textiles,
denoting their commonality. In Tibetan shrines, a figure of
Amitayus is often set alongside a figure of Ushnishavijaya
and White Tara, in a longevity triad. Amitabha and Amitayus
are celebrated in both Mahayana and Vajrayana practices,
and both were popular deities to worship during the Qing
dynasty, with figures of the latter being produced in large
quantities to commemorate imperial birthdays.

Compare a related gilt-bronze example, attributed to the
Kangxi period, sold at Christie’s Paris, 11th June 2008, lot 289,
and another, sold in our London rooms, 2nd November
1984, lot 327.

清康熙 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18

$ 40,000-60,000