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Lot Essay
This sculpture of Avalokiteshvara, the Bodhisattva of Compassion, appears standing upright on a single layered lotus pedestal, extending his left hand in the gesture of generosity. A blossomed lotus rests over his left shoulder. Wearing the royal garb of a bodhisattva - crown, earrings, necklaces, armbands, and jeweled waist belt over pleated dhoti - his deified majesty is framed by a foliate and flame-rimmed mandorla set along his back. His frontal, nearly constrained posture, recalls Ming court styles, while his foliate backplate bears the enduring influence of Indic and Nepalese conventions that was heavily adopted into Tibetan art.
The incorporation of backplates on portable casts was established in the seventh-eighth century in India, and further elaborated on during the Pala period with examples featuring flourishing edges of swirling flamed prahba (Bonhams, Paris, 11 June 2024, lot 24). These sculptures' modest scale facilitated their dissemination from India into Nepal and, eventually, Tibet. The reverse of the backplate is painted a deep red polychrome, an effect employed by Nepali artisans to reflect the gilded surface under the low lights of candles and butter lamps. This optical device can be found on a extant example of a back plate which shows, like here, the red paint placed in the area just behind the figure (HAR 32090). It is rare to find an intact sculpture that retains the base and backplate, making this Avalokiteshvara an unusual complete example.
Diplomatic and artistic exchanges between Tibet and China were well-established during the Yuan dynasty, and catalyzed an influx of Chinese motifs and styles into Tibet throughout the Ming dynasty. The forward facing position, with only a slight articulation of a swayed hip, and looped swags of the waistbelt share tastes with Ming period casts (Cf. HAR 8321). Likewise, elongated and narrowly compressed lotus leaves which angle over the base correspond with Yongle-style casting conventions (HAR 12132).
The incorporation of backplates on portable casts was established in the seventh-eighth century in India, and further elaborated on during the Pala period with examples featuring flourishing edges of swirling flamed prahba (Bonhams, Paris, 11 June 2024, lot 24). These sculptures' modest scale facilitated their dissemination from India into Nepal and, eventually, Tibet. The reverse of the backplate is painted a deep red polychrome, an effect employed by Nepali artisans to reflect the gilded surface under the low lights of candles and butter lamps. This optical device can be found on a extant example of a back plate which shows, like here, the red paint placed in the area just behind the figure (HAR 32090). It is rare to find an intact sculpture that retains the base and backplate, making this Avalokiteshvara an unusual complete example.
Diplomatic and artistic exchanges between Tibet and China were well-established during the Yuan dynasty, and catalyzed an influx of Chinese motifs and styles into Tibet throughout the Ming dynasty. The forward facing position, with only a slight articulation of a swayed hip, and looped swags of the waistbelt share tastes with Ming period casts (Cf. HAR 8321). Likewise, elongated and narrowly compressed lotus leaves which angle over the base correspond with Yongle-style casting conventions (HAR 12132).