Page 139 - Christie's Important Chinese Art, March 23 to 24 2023 New York

The abhisheka mudra displayed by the present
figure is one that is specifically associated with
Vairocana, along with the dharmadhatu and
dharmachakra mudras. Vairocana is considered
to be the Great Solar Buddha of Light and Truth,
and is the Bliss Body of the historical Buddha in
Buddhist Law. Vairocana is also considered one of
the Five Dhyani Buddhas, also known as the Five
Wisdom Tathagatas, which are representations of
the five qualities of the Buddha.

Buddhism was the state religion of the Qing
dynasty, and the Qianlong Emperor, much like
his predecessors Yongzheng and Kangxi, was
a devout practitioner of the faith and partly
responsible for its strong growth during the 18th
century. Of particular interest to the Qianlong
Emperor was Tibetan Buddhism, and perhaps the
pinnacle of his Tibetan Buddhist activities came
in 1780, the year in which he celebrated his 70th
birthday, when the Panchen Lama came to both
Jehol and Beijing, and bestowed upon the emperor
the Mahakala and Chakrasamvara initiations. The
rituals for these coincided with his birthday and
indicated that Qianlong had formally 'entered the
Buddhist realm'. Qianlong's powerful devotion
to Buddhism was readily carried over into works
of art made during his reign, as is evident in the
present gilt-bronze figure of Buddha.

1131
ANOTHER PROPERTY PROPERTY FROM A PRIVATE LOS ANGELES COLLECTION
ⱷ1131 1132
A RARE BRONZE HU-FORM JAR A GILT-BRONZE FIGURE OF SEATED VAIROCANA
QIANLONG CAST SEAL MARK AND OF THE PERIOD (1736-1795) QIANLONG PERIOD (1736-1795)
10¬ in. (26.9 cm.) high 17q in. (44.5 cm.) high
$20,000-30,000 $50,000-70,000
PROVENANCE: PROVENANCE:
Private collection, South America. Acquired in Los Angeles, 1970s.
For a yellow-glazed porcelain example with a similarly rendered mark, see 洛杉磯私́珍藏
Qing Imperial Porcelain, Nanjing Museum and the Chinese University of Hong
Kong, 1995, no. 65. Another yellow-glazed example, formerly in the collection 清̖隆ǎ鎏金銅૯日如Ϝ像
of R. H. Ellsworth, was sold at Christie's New York, 19 September 2006, lot Ϝ源
389.
年代Ն藏於洛杉磯

清̖隆ǎ銅鹿耳尊ǎՍ字篆書鑄款
Ϝ源
南美私́珍藏

1131 (mark)

1132
1132 (interior)