Page 51 - Bonhams Los Angelis December 14, 2022

PROPERTY FROM A PRIVATE CONNECTICUT COLLECTION
52
A GILT-BRONZE SEATED FIGURE OF AKSOBHYA BUDDHA The present figure is emblematic of Western and Central Tibetan
Tibet, 13th/14th Century casting from the 13th and 14th centuries. Among the notable stylistic
Seated upright in dhyanasana on a double-lotus base, the right hand details are the distinctive petals on the lotus base, which are wide
in bhumisparsa mudra (touching the earth), and the left hand resting and rounded, typical of the period. The gilding at the face is applied
on the laps with the palm facing upward, wearing a thin dhoti falling in the ‘cold gold’ technique, which could involve the direct application
in neat folds by the ankles, the arms and chest heavily bejeweled and of gold leaf to the surface, or more commonly in Tibet, the blending
the body framed by scarves billowing to the sides, the serene face in a of gold dust or gold leaf with a binder into a ubiquitous solution, and
meditative expression with downcast eyes and a subtle smile, framed then painting the amalgam onto the surface. This technique is one of
by neatly coiled hair and a tall diadem, the face gilt, the body with the distinguishing characteristics of Tibetan metalworking of that time
traces of gilt and red lacquer. and region. The heavy application of gold to the face, and the traces
of gold elsewhere on the body, indicate the importance of the present
14in (35.6cm) high statue in Buddhist ritual. The sprues on the figure, remnants of the
lost-wax casting process, are characteristic of Western and Central
$20,000 - 30,000 Tibetan bronze production, and help identify the geographic origin of
the figure.
Provenance:
Sotheby’s, New York, 22 March 1989, Lot 276 Compare a strikingly similar 13th century copper-alloy figure of
Akshobhya Buddha in a private collection (illustrated on Himalayan Art
Akshobhya Buddha is one of the Five Transcendent Buddhas and is Resources, item no. 57354), which bears the same characteristics in
said to reside to the east of the Diamond Realm and is the lord of the posture, facial expression, lotus petals, cold-gilt face, and sprues, as
Eastern Pure Land Abhirati, in contrast to his counterpart, Amitabha the present figure. See, also, a 14th century hardstone-embellished
of the Western Pure Land. Reflective of the name, which means copper-alloy figure of Akshobhya Buddha sold at Sotheby’s, New York,
‘Immovable One’ in Sanskrit, Akshobhya Buddha is here shown 20 September 2022, lot 124, which has a very similar body, jewelry,
rooted in meditation. The right hand is positioned downwards in a and pedestal to the present figure, but has lotus stems at the sides
symbolic gesture that recalls Shakyamuni’s victory over the armies and rather than a shawl. A related Tibetan 13th/14th century copper-alloy
temptations of Mara. figure of Amitabha sold in our London rooms, 16 May 2013, lot 273,
displaying similar aesthetic and technical qualities to the present
example, but with the Buddha of the Western Pure Land represented.
FINE CHINESE ART | 49