Page 128 - Christie's Important Chinese Art Nov 3 2020 London

THE PROPERTY OF A LADY
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A GILT-BRONZE MULTI- ARMED FIGURE OF AVALOKITESHVARA
17TH CENTURY
The multi-armed deity is cast seated in dhyanasana, the eighteen radiating arms carrying various ritual
attributes including the conch shell, wheel, lotus bud, mala (prayer beads) and lasso, the principal arms
held in uttarabodhi mudra. The figure wears a dhoti and a scarf draped over the shoulders, the hems
incised with floral scrolls. The hair is upswept into a top knot beneath a foliate crown centred with
Amitabha Buddha. The face has a serene expression with downcast eyes and the forehead is centred
with an urna. The deity is supported on a four-tiered lotus base, the stem rising from a wave platform
flanked by figures.
12 3/8 in. (31.5 cm.) high, overall
£40,000-60,000 US$52,000-77,000
€44,000-66,000
This form of mystical interpretation of Avalokitesvara with multiple arms is found on mural paintings
at Dunhuang dating to the late 8th/9th century. The sculptural form appeared as early as in the 10th
century, and can be seen on a carving of a standing multi-armed Bodhisattva dated to the Northern
Song Dynasty (960-1127) in the Dinglongxing Temple, Heibei province, illustrated in Guanyin Baoxiang,
Precious Images of Guanyin, Shanghai, 1998, p. 99. One of the earliest published gilt-bronze Tantric
Avalokitesvara appears to be an example seated in bhadrasana, both legs pendent, in the Nitta
collection, illustrated in The Crucible of Compassion and Wisdom, National Palace Museum, Taipei, 1985,
pl. 189, pl. 93, dated to the Five Dynasties (907-960).
Compare with a group of related Tantric gilt-bronzes of the Ming period cast with multiple heads
arranged in tiers above the principal head, such as the figure with seven heads and twenty-four arms,
dated to 16th/17th century in the Chang Foundation, illustrated in Buddhist Images in Gilt Metal, Taipei,
1993, p. 86, no. 36; and two other examples sold in Christie's Hong Kong, 27 April 1997, lot 537 and 29
October 2001, lot 514.

私人珍藏
十七世紀 鎏金銅十六臂觀音菩薩坐像

126 In addition to the hammer price, a Buyer’s Premium (plus VAT) is payable. Other taxes and/or an Artist Resale Royalty
fee are also payable if the lot has a tax or λ symbol. Check Section D of the Conditions of Sale at the back of this catalogue.