Page 148 - 2019 October Important Chinese Art Sotheby's Hong Kong

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PROPERTY OF A GENTLEMAN 北魏 銅彌勒菩薩坐像
A BRONZE VOTIVE FIGURE OF MAITREYA
NORTHERN WEI DYNASTY
cast seated on a raised rectangular plinth, the figure with the
right arm raised and the left lowered in abhayavarada, clad
in long robes falling into cascading folds around the legs, the
elongated face flanked by a pair of pendulous ears, detailed
with downcast eyes, an arched nose and a gentle smile below
hair piled up in a chignon
10.6 cm, 4⅛ in.

HK$ 80,000-100,000
US$ 10,200-12,800

This finely cast Northern Wei votive bronze figure depicts 此尊北魏銅彌勒佛像，展現未來佛之莊嚴慈相，垂
Maitreya, the future Buddha, seated with legs pendent in the 足倚坐，施無畏、與願印，姿態與同代石雕佛像相
so-called ‘Western’ pose with hands in abhayavaradamudras. 類。參考龍門石雕彌勒佛像，圖見《中國美術全集．
Its iconography is closely related to contemporaneous 雕塑篇》，卷11：龍門雕刻，北京，1988年，圖49
sculptures in stone period
。Malcolm McPherson 伉儷舊藏石灰石雕彌勒佛，也
Compare the iconography on a carved stone figure of 可資比較，2008年9月17日在紐約佳士得拍出，編號
Maitreya, excavated from the Longmen site, illustrated 573。
in Zhongguo meishu quanji: diaosu bian [Complete series
on Chinese art: Sculpture section], vol. 11: Longmen shiku
diaoke [Sculptures of the Longmen Caves], Beijing, 1988,
fig. 49. See also a limestone figure of Maitreya from the
collection of Mr and Mrs Malcolm McPherson, sold at
Christie’s New York, 17th September 2008, lot 573.

146 SOTHEBY ’S IMPORTANT CHINESE ART