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Lot Essay
Amitayus is known as the ‘Buddha of Infinite Light’ and the ‘One who grants long life’. The deity is seen here in a classic representation seated in the lotus position (dhyanasana), with the hands held in meditation supporting a vessel (kalasha), which holds the elixir of immortality. As one of the most popular deities from the Tibetan Buddhist pantheon, images of Amitayus found great favor with the emperor Qianlong.
Similar famille rose figures of Amitayus of comparable size were produced with flesh-tone bodies, like the present example, or with gilt bodies. They appear on two different types of bases: a pink-enameled double-lotus base, as seen here, or a multi-colored lotus base. A flesh-toned example on a multi-colored base is illustrated in Exhibition of Chinese Arts, Messrs C. T. Loo & Co., New York, 1941-1942, no. 750, and a gilt-bodied version on a pink-enameled base was sold at Christie’s London, 9 November 2004, lot 194.
Ceramic Buddhist images of such unusually large size are extremely rare, and were probably specifically commissioned for ritual display in temples situated within the imperial palace precincts. For instance, figures of Amitayus were made for the Zhongzhendian, The Hall of Purity, where the deity was mainly worshipped. The Hall was used for ritual celebration during birthdays of empress dowagers or emperors. Qianlong was also known to have commissioned a large number of cyclically-marked gilt-bronze Amitayus figures as gifts to his mother, the Empress Dowager, who was a devout Buddhist, in commemoration of her sixtieth and seventieth birthdays. Figures of Amitayus were are often depicted in groups of nine, since ‘nine’ is a homophone for ‘eternity’.
As part of this tradition, the present figure was likely one of a set commissioned for an imperial birthday or celebration. Interestingly, a character, likely the numeral ‘one’, is carved within the aperture on the top of the base of this example, and may refer to a numbering system for its placement in a specific order and location within the set.
Similar famille rose figures of Amitayus of comparable size were produced with flesh-tone bodies, like the present example, or with gilt bodies. They appear on two different types of bases: a pink-enameled double-lotus base, as seen here, or a multi-colored lotus base. A flesh-toned example on a multi-colored base is illustrated in Exhibition of Chinese Arts, Messrs C. T. Loo & Co., New York, 1941-1942, no. 750, and a gilt-bodied version on a pink-enameled base was sold at Christie’s London, 9 November 2004, lot 194.
Ceramic Buddhist images of such unusually large size are extremely rare, and were probably specifically commissioned for ritual display in temples situated within the imperial palace precincts. For instance, figures of Amitayus were made for the Zhongzhendian, The Hall of Purity, where the deity was mainly worshipped. The Hall was used for ritual celebration during birthdays of empress dowagers or emperors. Qianlong was also known to have commissioned a large number of cyclically-marked gilt-bronze Amitayus figures as gifts to his mother, the Empress Dowager, who was a devout Buddhist, in commemoration of her sixtieth and seventieth birthdays. Figures of Amitayus were are often depicted in groups of nine, since ‘nine’ is a homophone for ‘eternity’.
As part of this tradition, the present figure was likely one of a set commissioned for an imperial birthday or celebration. Interestingly, a character, likely the numeral ‘one’, is carved within the aperture on the top of the base of this example, and may refer to a numbering system for its placement in a specific order and location within the set.