.jpg?w=1)
.jpg?w=1)
Lot Essay
The Bodhisattva is finely cast seated in padmasana atop a double-lotus pedestal, the right hand delicately raised and the left hand resting above the lap. The serene face is rendered with downcast eyes set beneath gently arched brows, flanked by elongated earlobes with earrings. The coiffure is elegantly upswept into a high chignon beneath an openwork tiara with tassels, with long trailing tresses cascading gracefully over the shoulders.
Avalokiteshvara, venerated in China as Guanyin, is the Bodhisattva of Infinite Compassion. The name encapsulates the deity's vow to hear the cries of all sentient beings and work tirelessly for their salvation. While Avalokiteshvara was originally depicted in male form in Indian and early Chinese Buddhist art, by the Ming dynasty, Guanyin had largely evolved into a distinctly feminine or elegantly androgynous manifestation, embodying a universally accessible ideal of divine mercy and protection.
Compare a related Ming dynasty example in the collection of the Palace Museum, Beijing, depicted with closely comparable iconography and adornment, collection no.: xin00099092 (fig. 1). A related gilt-bronze seated figure of Guanyin from the Kierulff Family Collection, depicted holding a scroll with similar tresses cascading over the shoulders, was subsequently sold at Christie’s London, 8 November 2016, lot 114 (fig. 2).
Avalokiteshvara, venerated in China as Guanyin, is the Bodhisattva of Infinite Compassion. The name encapsulates the deity's vow to hear the cries of all sentient beings and work tirelessly for their salvation. While Avalokiteshvara was originally depicted in male form in Indian and early Chinese Buddhist art, by the Ming dynasty, Guanyin had largely evolved into a distinctly feminine or elegantly androgynous manifestation, embodying a universally accessible ideal of divine mercy and protection.
Compare a related Ming dynasty example in the collection of the Palace Museum, Beijing, depicted with closely comparable iconography and adornment, collection no.: xin00099092 (fig. 1). A related gilt-bronze seated figure of Guanyin from the Kierulff Family Collection, depicted holding a scroll with similar tresses cascading over the shoulders, was subsequently sold at Christie’s London, 8 November 2016, lot 114 (fig. 2).