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Lot Essay
The present bronze, with its tall chignon fronted by an elaborate headdress and three-petaled necklace, closely follows Nepalese prototypes of Amitayus from the same period, which in turn likely mirrored earlier Licchavi representations; see, for example, a gilt-bronze figure of Amitayus sold at Christie’s New York, 14 September 2010, lot 64. The Mongolian political and religious leader and master artisan, Zanabazar, was said to have imported metal image casters from Nepal, so it is not surprising that such representations are found in the Mongolian context.
The baseplate, with gilt crossed vajras, is typically only found in Mongolian bronzes from the Zanabazar period, and the heavy casting and rich, vibrant gilding are also characteristic of Mongolian bronzes from this period. A closely-related example, with a similar raised single-lotus base and carried out in the Nepalese convention, was sold at Bonhams Hong Kong, 26 November 2019, lot 21.
The baseplate, with gilt crossed vajras, is typically only found in Mongolian bronzes from the Zanabazar period, and the heavy casting and rich, vibrant gilding are also characteristic of Mongolian bronzes from this period. A closely-related example, with a similar raised single-lotus base and carried out in the Nepalese convention, was sold at Bonhams Hong Kong, 26 November 2019, lot 21.