Page 152 - 2019 September 11th Christie's New York Chiense Art Himalayan bronzes and art

PROPERTY FROM A PRIVATE ASIAN COLLECTION
378
A BRONZE FIGURE OF TSONGKHAPA
TIBETO-CHINESE, 18TH CENTURY
7¡ in. (18.7 cm.) high

$8,000-12,000

The founder of the Gelukpa sect is depicted in his standard
form, holding the stems of lotuses fowering along his upper
arms supporting a manuscript and, once, a sword; his face
displays a serene expression with downcast eyes. The sculpture
is executed in a style typical of the mid-Qing period, with great
attention paid to the folds of his three-piece garment, which fall
elegantly atop the base, cast with wide, fat lotus petals.
Himalayan Art Resources, item no. 24555.

378

PROPERTY FROM A PRIVATE ASIAN COLLECTION
379
A GILT-BRONZE FIGURE OF MANJUSHRI
TIBETO-CHINESE, 18TH CENTURY
6æ in. (17.2 cm.) high

$6,000-8,000

The bodhisattva sits in dhyanasana on a double-lotus base,
with his right hand raised holding a sword and his left
held before his chest, and was once clutching the stem
of a lotus which adorned his left elbow and supported a
book. He is dressed in a voluminous dhoti and adorned
with ornamented jewelry as described in the Vajrayana
Buddhist scriptures.
The fgure’s multi-tiered chignon behind a foliate tiara, the
way in which the triangular ends of his robes fall over both
of his knees, and the fat wide casting of the lotus petals
on the base, all point to the Chinese origin of this fne
eighteenth-century bronze fgure. Easily portable images
of Manjushri like this were common to the Qing period.
Himalayan Art Resources, item no. 24552.
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