MING DYNASTY, 16TH-17TH CENTURY

The Cundi Bodhisattva, also known as the ‘Bodhisattva of seven hundred million’, is an important Bodhisattva revered by both the Exoteric and Esoteric Buddhism. The characteristic iconography comprises the third eye and eighteen arms, holding various attributes including banner, lotus flower, vase, rope, Wheel of Law, conch shell, kundika, sword, rosary, pomegranate, axe, hook and vajra. The present figure is seated in dhyanasana above a separately cast lotus stand, which is elevated on a hexagonal base, supported by a lotus stem flanked by the two Dragon Kings, Nanda and Upananda.

The present figure is well cast, with most of the gilding preserved. Compare to two other gilt-bronze figures of Cundi Bodhisattva, one with similar stands but smaller in size, sold at Sotheby’s New York, 20 March 2019, lot 686, the other without stands and less finely cast, sold at Christie’s New York, 24 March 2011, lot 1631.