Lot 85
85
A RARE GILT AND PAINTED BRONZE FIGURE OF SYAMATARA
A RARE GILT AND PAINTED BRONZE FIGURE OF SYAMATARA
A RARE GILT AND PAINTED BRONZE FIGURE OF SYAMATARA
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A RARE GILT AND PAINTED BRONZE FIGURE OF SYAMATARA
6 More
This lot will be removed to Christie’s Park Royal.… Read more
A RARE GILT AND PAINTED BRONZE FIGURE OF SYAMATARA

NORTH CHINA, LATE QINQ DYNASTY (1644-1911)

Details
A RARE GILT AND PAINTED BRONZE FIGURE OF SYAMATARA
NORTH CHINA, LATE QINQ DYNASTY (1644-1911)
Seated in a lalitasana position on a plint, her right hand lowered in varadamudra, the left raised in vitarkamudra, wearing a sari finely decorated with floral and geometric designs, traces of gilt decoration
39 3/8 in. (100 cm.) high
Provenance
A Private Collection; sold Christie's, Paris, 9 June 2015, lot 336.
Special notice
This lot will be removed to Christie’s Park Royal. Christie’s will inform you if the lot has been sent offsite. Our removal and storage of the lot is subject to the terms and conditions of storage which can be found at Christies.com/storage and our fees for storage are set out in the table below - these will apply whether the lot remains with Christie’s or is removed elsewhere. Please call Christie’s Client Service 24 hours in advance to book a collection time at Christie’s Park Royal. All collections from Christie’s Park Royal will be by pre-booked appointment only. Tel: +44 (0)20 7839 9060 Email: cscollectionsuk@christies.com. If the lot remains at Christie’s it will be available for collection on any working day 9.00 am to 5.00 pm. Lots are not available for collection at weekends. The VAT treatment will depend on whether you have registered to bid with an EU or non-EU address: If you register to bid with an address within the EU you will be invoiced under the VAT Margin Scheme. If you register to bid with an address outside of the EU you will be invoiced under standard VAT rules.

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Benedict Winter
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Lot Essay

Sculpted in Northern China, the present Syamatara wears a serene expression, sitting in a relaxed lalitasana, the posture of royal ease. Adorned with a tiara around her chignon, her right hand is lowered in a gesture of charity (varadamudra), while her left hand represents knowledge, communication and the teachings of Buddha.

This sculpture represents a bodhisattva, an enlightened being who is destined to become a Buddha but postpones their fnal state to help humanity. Her visage and pose represent virtue and enlightened action. According to Buddhist tradition Syamatara was born from a blooming lotus that was watered by the tears of the bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara

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