Page 206 - Bonhams Asian Art London November 5, 2020

THE PROPERTY OF A LADY 女士藏品
Lots 200 - 201

200
A GILT-BRONZE FIGURE OF AMITAYUS
18th century
Heavily cast, the deity portrayed seated cross-legged on a double-
lotus pedestal, the hands in dhyana mudra, his benevolent face framed
by an elaborate tiara, dressed elegantly in a long flowing robe, adorned
with necklaces, armlets and bracelets.
17.5cm (7in) high.
£6,000 - 8,000
CNY53,000 - 70,000
十八世紀 銅鎏金無量壽佛像

Provenance: a European private collection

來源：歐洲私人收藏

Amitayus is the ‘Buddha of Eternal life’ and highly revered in China and
Mongolia due to his special ability to prolong life. The features of the
present lot, the gracefully pleated trailing robe as well as the elaborate
lotus pedestal, are characteristic of 17th/18th century Buddhist gilt-
bronze figures.

Compare with a similar gilt-bronze figure of Amitayus, 17th/18th
century, illustrated in Jintong fozaoxiang tulu 金銅佛造像圖錄
(‘Buddhist Images in Gilt Metal’), Taipei, 1993, pl.19.

201
200
AN UNUSUAL GILT-BRONZE FIGURE OF A FOREIGNER
17th century
The figure standing straight, holding an elephant tusk in his hands,
wearing a pointed hat and a layered long robe falling to his feet
revealing the pointed slippers, draped into pleats and fastened with a
string-like cloth belt, the face with a pleasant expression and deeply
cast with bushy eyebrows above bulging eyes.
23cm (9in) high.
£7,000 - 9,000
CNY61,000 - 79,000
十七世紀 銅鎏金胡人立像

Provenance: a European private collection

來源：歐洲私人收藏

The motif of a foreigner in standing or kneeling position holding
an object in his hands, such as the present example, is known as
‘the foreigner offering treasures (huren xian bao)’ and bears stylistic
influences from India and Gandhara. See S.Jing, ‘Discussion about the
origin of the huren xian bao’, in Collections, 1996, vol.6, pp.31-35.

Foreigners depicted with large round eyes and noses, thick curly beards,
moustache and hair, were a popular motif in Chinese art from as early as
the Tang dynasty (618-906), when the increased presence of foreigners
in China generated new fascination among the Chinese and led to a
gradual stylisation of the image of the foreigner in Chinese art.

Compare with two related bronze figures of foreigners, Ming dynasty,
from the George Eumorfopoulos collection, both holding a conch
shell and wearing a similar costume as the present lot, in the British
Museum, London, nos.1938,0524.712.a and 1938,0524,713.a.

201

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