Page 99 - Sothebys Important Chinese Art London May 2018

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A GILT!BRONZE FIGURE OF ELEVEN! A GILT!BRONZRE FIGURE OF BUDDHA
HEADED AVALOKITESHVARA MING DYNASTY, 16TH CENTURY
17TH CENTURY
seated in dhyanasana on a lotus pedestal rising on a stalk
cast seated in dhyanasana with twenty-four arms and eleven from a hexagonal stand, his hands resting in bhumisparsa and
heads arranged in four tiers and surmounted with Amitabha, dhyana mudras, his face with contemplative expression, the
the principle hands in anjalimudra, another two pairs held in hem of his garment delicately incised with ß oral and geometric
dhyanamudra and abhayamudra, the others fanned out each designs
bearing an attribute, the last pair supporting the Þ gure of (2)
Amitabha, the face of a serene expression with subtly outlined 25cm, 9¾in.
eyes cast downward and a smiling bud mouth, the Þ gure
PROVENANCE
adorned with elaborate jewellery and wearing a dhoti and a
long shawl covering the shoulders with sash-ends ß owing Formerly in an East German private collection, purchased in
down the sides 1990 (by repute).
24 cm, 9⅜ in. Sotheby’s London, 16th May 2007, lot 343.
This Þ gure depicts the bodhisattva Avalokitesvara as ಴ £ 30,000-50,000
Samantamukha, the All-Pitying One, who looks in every HK$ 332,000-555,000 US$ 42,300-70,500
direction to save all creatures. It is believed that the eleven
heads were formed when the bodhisattva attended to save
culprits from hell. As he realised that that for every soul saved ׼ɤʬ˰ߏ ⺗ږზᙑࠒϳ̵Ѭ྅
another took its place, his head split into many heads that
could assist him in saving mankind. Ը๕
؇ᅃӷɛᔚᔛdᒅ׵ ϋ€ෂ
£ 15,000-20,000
ࡐ౱ᘽబˢ ϋ ˜ ˚d ᇜ໮
HK$ 166,000-221,000 US$ 21,200-28,200

ɤɖ˰ߏ ⺗ږზɤɓࠦᝈࠪѬ྅

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IMPORTANT CHINESE ART 97