AN UNUSUAL SMALL GILT-BRONZE FIGURE OF A BODHISATTVA

LIAO DYNASTY (907-1125)

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AN UNUSUAL SMALL GILT-BRONZE FIGURE OF A BODHISATTVA
LIAO DYNASTY (907-1125)
Shown seated in virasana atop a lotus socle, with right hand in varamudra and the left hand in the 'mudra of good fortune', wearing a skirt cast in crisp folds and a cloud collar over a full-sleeved tunic tied just below the chest, the hair drawn up beneath an arched headdress tied with ribbons trailing down onto the shoulders and arms, gilding rubbed
4¼ in. (10.5 cm.) high

Lot Essay

Although the shape of the face and style of the headdress are similar to other small gilt-bronze bodhisattvas of the Liao period, the costume is different. The lotus throne and the headdress relate to those of a figure in a Japanese collection, dated 939 A.D., in the Five Dynasties period, illustrated by Matsubara, Chugoku Bukkyo Chokoku Shi Kankyu, p. 302. See, also, the figure with related headdress and seated on a similar socle supported on the back of an elephant, illustrated by S. Matsubara, Chugoku Bukkyo Chokokushi Ron, vol. 3, Tokyo, 1995, pl. 801b.

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