Page 200 - Bonhams Asian Art London November 5, 2020

194
A LARGE GILT COPPER-ALLOY REPOUSSÉ
FIGURE OF BUDDHA SHAKYAMUNI
Tibet, 17th century
Well modelled seated in dhyanasana, his hand in
bhumisparsa mudra, wearing layered monk’s robes
gathered in cascading folds with finely incised floral
hems, his face with a serene expression flanked by
long pendulous ears, beneath a domed ushnisha,
the base sealed.
34cm (13 3/8in) high.

£8,000 - 12,000
CNY70,000 - 110,000
西藏，十七世紀 銅鎏金錘揲釋迦牟尼像

From the back of this statue, it is apparent that the
robe is a kasaya, garment made of patches of cloth
joined together. In Chinese, kasaya is translated
as ‘futian’ (happy fields 福田) because the patch
pattern looks like a ‘field’ (tian 田). Therefore,
supporting monks was considered to be equivalent
to planting fields. See a related gilt bronze figure of
Buddha, 17th century, with similar robe and hems,
illustrated in Buddhist Images in Gilt-Metal, Taipei,
1993, pp.38-39, no.12.

195
A GILT-BRONZE FIGURE OF AKSHOBHYA
Tibet, 15th century
Seated in vajrasana on a lotus base, his right hand
in bhumisparshamudra, his left resting on his lap,
wearing a thin robe detailed with incised geometric
designs at the hem, his face with meditative
expression defined by an aquiline nose and smiling
lips, the hair arranged in a high chignon surrounded
by a foliate tiara set with stones, sealed base.
21cm (8 1/4in) high.

£10,000 - 15,000
CNY88,000 - 130,000
西藏，十五世紀 銅鎏金阿閦佛坐像

Provenance: a European private collection

來源：歐洲私人收藏

Rendered with exceptional elegance, this sculpture
perfectly captures the steadfast nature of Buddha
Akshobhya, whose name translates to ‘immovable’
or ‘unshakeable’. As one of the most popular of
the five transcendent Buddha’s venerated in Tibet,
each of whom reign over one of the five directions,
194 Akshobhya is the Buddha who resides in the east.
Every aspect of the body, from the fleshy toes, the
elongated fingers, and the broad shoulders which
give way to a softly tapered waist, conveys a sense
of energized balance. Combined with the gentle
smile and steady gaze, these features convey the
deity’s powerful grace. Compare the style of the
present figure with a related but larger and slightly
earlier gilt-bronze figure of Buddha Vajradhara,
14th century, illustrated by A.Lutz, On the Path to
Enlightenment: The Berti Aschman Foundation of
Tibetan Art at the Museum Rietberg Zurich, Zurich,
1995, p.61, no.2. A similar gilt-bronze figure of
Akshobhya, 15th/16th century, was sold at Christie’s
Amsterdam, 21 November 2001, lot 130.

For details of the charges payable in addition to the final Hammer Price of each Lot
198 | BONHAMS please refer to paragraphs 7 & 8 of the Notice to Bidders at the back of the catalogue.