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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.
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.