Page 14 - Bonhams NYC Chinese works of Art March 2019

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A SILVER-INLAID BRONZE FERRULE A GILT-BRONZE FIGURE OF GUANYIN IN A GROTTO
Late Eastern Zhou dynasty, 3rd century BCE Song dynasty
Cast with a flat end and an almond shaped opening, with a raised Cast clad in a dhoti and scarf, adorned with a necklace and a tiara
band at its mid-section, the body inlaid with silver in abstract bird fronting the high chignon, seated in lalitasana on a separately cast
forms. platform with removable stylized grotto of pierced and pointed rocks
4 7/8in (12.5cm) high framing the figure like a mandorla, all secured with linchpin tabs to a
platform resting on rockwork, riveted to a stepped dais.
$7,000 - 10,000 8 3/4in (22.2cm) high, overall

東周晚期 公元前三世紀 銅錯銀鐏 $8,000 - 12,000

Provenance: 宋 鎏金銅坐岩自在觀音像
Arthur M. Sackler (1913-1987) Collection
Christie’s New York, 1 December 1994, lot 41 Provenance:
A Japanese private collection, by repute
Two types of ferrule were common in the Warring States period, one
terminating in a hoof-shape - dun, and the other with a flat bottom - Representations of Guanyin prior to the Song dynasty were masculine
zun, as with the present example. Designed to cap a halberd or spear, in appearance. By the Song dynasty, the bodhisattva was more often
ferrules were lavishly inlaid with silver, turquoise or gold, a luxurious portrayed with androgynous characteristics, and this pose, with raised
testament to the owner’s prestige and elite status in society. right leg and pendant left leg, with the weight supported by the left
hand became popular. This posture accentuated the smooth lines and
elegant form of Guanyin, giving rise to figures in this pose being called
Zizai Guanyin, Guanyin at ease.

A similar gilt-bronze figure seated on a stepped four-legged dais in the
collection of the Freer Gallery of Art, Washington D.C., is illustrated by
Hugo Munsterberg, Chinese Buddhist Bronzes, Tokyo, 1967, pl. 69;
and another similar example also with a grotto was exhibited by J.J.
Lally & Co., Buddhist Sculpture from Ancient China, March 10-31,
2017, cat. no. 19.
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