A GILT-BRONZE SEATED FIGURE OF A BODHISATTVA
A GILT-BRONZE SEATED FIGURE OF A BODHISATTVA

QIANLONG SEVEN-CHARACTER CAST MARK AND OF THE PERIOD (1736-1795)

Details
A GILT-BRONZE SEATED FIGURE OF A BODHISATTVA
QIANLONG SEVEN-CHARACTER CAST MARK AND OF THE PERIOD (1736-1795)
The figure shown seated on a lotus pedestal holding a flaming pearl wears a flowing dhoti, intricately incised with floral diaper borders, and a five-point crown behind which rises a tiered topknot. The flesh areas are cold gilded and the hair is painted blue, with the face detailed in red, black and white pigment. The reign mark, Da Qing Qianlong nian jing zao, is cast in relief in a rectangle on the front of the pedestal above the characters, ri guang tian, and an inscription on the reverse reads wu shang yin ti gen ben. The base is sealed with a copper plate base engraved with a double vajra.
7 3/8 in. (18.9 cm.) high
Provenance
Private collection, Sonoma, California.

Lot Essay

The inscription ri guang tian on the front of the base below the reign mark identifies the present figure as Suryaprabha, who symbolizes the light of the sun and is usually shown flanking the Medicine Buddha, accompanied by his counterpart Chandraprabha, representing the light of the moon.
The inscription on the reverse of the base reading wu shang yin ti gen ben may be translated as 'central to the female continual study of yoga tantra.'
This well-cast figure belongs to a set that was in the Baoxiang lou, a former palace and temple of the Qianlong Emperor's mother. Numerous figures from this set, most of which are also inscribed with Qianlong reign marks as well as the names of divinities and other high personages, are illustrated by W. E. Clark, Two Lamaistic Pantheons, New York, 1965, while four other figures from the set are illustrated in The Many Faces of Buddha, Oglethorpe University Art Gallery, Atlanta, Georgia, 1986, pp. 48-49, no. 18.
A very similar figure from this set depicting Jnanaketu was sold at Christie's New York, 21 September 2005, lot 105. See, also, a comparable figure from the same set, but depicting Vajrasattva, which was sold at Christie's New York, 22 March 2007, lot 215.

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