PROPERTY FROM A PRIVATE COLLECTION, CALIFORNIA

A RARE LARGE OCHRE, GREEN, TURQUOISE AND AUBERGINE-GLAZED SEATED FIGURE OF AMITAYUS

MING-QING DYNASTY (1368-1911)

Details

A RARE LARGE OCHRE, GREEN, TURQUOISE AND AUBERGINE-GLAZED SEATED FIGURE OF AMITAYUS
MING-QING DYNASTY (1368-1911)
The figure is modeled seated in dhyanasana upon a separate lotus leaf-form base, dressed in a flowing dhoti and draped in elaborate jewels, the hands held in dhyanamudra supporting a vase. The head is adorned with a foliate crown and inscribed with a character on the back near the bottom, possibly reading lin, and has a long tubular fitting at the base of the neck allowing it to fit into the body.
22 ½ in. (57.2 cm.) high

Provenance

Frank Caro, successor to C. T. Loo (according to label).
Acquired in Newtown, Massachusetts, 1970s, and thence by descent to the present owner.

Conditions of sale

Brought to you by

Vicki Paloympis (潘薇琦) Head of Department, VP, Specialist

asianartny@christies.com +1 212 636 2180

Lot Essay

Amitayus, known as the 'Buddha of Infinite Life,' is one of the most popular deities in the Tibetan Buddhist pantheon; his typical iconography is recognized by the seated full-lotus posture with hands in meditation supporting a kalasha bottle containing the elixir of immortality.

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. Compare the present figure to a very similar example, from the collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, sold at Christie’s New York, 15 September 2016, lot 845.

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