CHINE, DYNASTIE QING, XVIIIÈME-XIXÈME SIÈCLE

Buddhism thrived during the Qing dynasty, bolstered by the devotion of emperors Kangxi, Yongzheng, and Qianlong, whose patronage inspired the widespread production of Buddhist statues, ritual implements, vessels, and other sacred items in a variety of materials. Several notable jade Buddhas from this era are documented. A small jade Amitayus (7.7 cm high) is featured in Monarchy and Its Buddhist Way: Tibetan-Buddhist Ritual Implements in the National Palace Museum, National Palace Museum, Taiwan, 1999, no. 29. Another example, a mid-Qing dynasty white jade seated Buddha (13.6 cm) in the Palace Museum, Beijing, is illustrated by Yang Boda in Chinese Jades Throughout the Ages, Hong Kong, 1997, no. 103. Additionally, a slightly larger seated white jade Pindola figure (21 cm), formerly in the Nott Collection, is included in Chinese Jades in the Stanley Charles Nott Collection, West Palm Beach, 1942, pl. XII, and attributed to the Jiaqing period. A larger (23.5 cm) white jade Buddha from the Stephen Junkunc III collection, closely resembling the current piece, was sold at Christie’s New York on 26 March 2010, lot 1104. The current lot can also be compared to a jade Buddha (19 cm high) from the V.W.S. Collection, sold at Christie’s Paris on 13-14 December 2022, lot 543.