MING DYNASTY, 16TH CENTURY

Details

A RARE GILT-BRONZE FIGURE OF AVALOKITESVARA
MING DYNASTY, 16TH CENTURY
The deity is finely cast seated with legs crossed in dhyanasana, both hands held together at the level of the stomach in meditation gesture, dhyana mudra. The rounded face cast with eyes downcast in an expression of contemplation, below a diadem accommodating the Amitabha, partially draped by a cowl falling behind the pendulous ears that are adorned with pendent earrings. With elaborate beaded jewellery chains that are suspended from a torque across the bare torso. Dressed in a loose robe, finely chased with a band of dense floral scrolls. The figure is supported on a separately cast lotus-form stand raised on a short circular foot, further detailed with a band of lotus petals.
Overall height, 23 in. (58.5 cm.)

Provenance

Frank Caro, circa 1950s
The Evelyn Annenberg Hall (1911-2005) Collection

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Lot Essay

The present figure relates closely to a group of Buddhist gilt-bronzes dated to the mid to late Ming period, also with separately cast lotus bases - some raised on galleried plinths - such as the figure of Avalokitesvara in the Chang Foundation, illustrated in Buddhist Images in Gilt Metal, Taipei, 1993, p. 88, no. 37. It is interesting to note the sincised, rounded, face of the present figure which is stylistically closer to those of the early to mid Ming examples, and differs to related examples of the early Qing period, such as the large gilt-bronze figure with an inscription dating it to 1660 sold at Christie's Hong Kong, 27 May 2007, lot 1576, and sold again from the Speelman Collection, Sotheby's Hong Kong 8 April 2014, lot 88.

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