Page 58 - Bonhams Chinese Paintings June 2015

Buddhist Sculpture

Property from the collection of Dr. Carroll Brown Malone,
acquired in China in the 1920s
7083
A gilt bronze figure of the Mahasthamaprapta Bodhisattva seated
on a lotus throne
Ming dynasty
His hands held in vitarka and varadamudra as he sits in a meditative pose, dressed in a crown
and princely jewelry but clothed in the garments of a monk, his undergarment held in place by
a bow-tied sash and the outer garment trimmed with a lotus pattern band, the trailing ends
of both falling to the front and sides of the separately cast lotus flower support and hexagonal
base with reticulated balustrade.
13 3/4in (35cm) height overall
$25,000 - 40,000
Often portrayed in a trinity with the Amitabha Buddha and the Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva
(Ch: Guanyin), Mahasthamaprapta (Ch: Dashizhi pusa) is typically portrayed in a likeness
similar to Guanyin, but with a kalasha rather than a Buddha in his crown. See the slightly
larger gilt bronze figure of Mahasthamaprapta with his hands held in the same mudras as
this lot and a kalasha plainly visible in his crown, sold in Bonhams, San Francisco, sale
18888, 21 June 2011, lot 8186.

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