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拍品專文
Avalokiteshvara, is the bodhisattva of compassion and one of the principal deities in Mahayana Buddhism. He is the spiritual successor to Amitabha, the Buddha of Infinite Light, who appears here rendered in the bodhisattva’s scalloped crown. Here, the depiction of Avalokiteshvara strikes a delicate balance between the exquisite depiction of details and a crisp but pleasing presentation of the deity. With his right hand in varada mudra, he stands with his left leg slightly bent, a common delineation of bodhisattva. His face, in a benign and serene expression, flanked by elongated earlobes, displays classic stylistic elements from Swat Valley, including the more refined and elegant almond-shaped eyes, and rounded face, distinguished it from later Kashmiri sculptures. Another typical Swat Valley feature, the intricately braided hair with an elaborate topknot, is surmounted by a stele of Buddha Amitabha atop his head, with double strands of curly hair falling on his shoulders. The robe is draped over the left shoulder and arm, across a muscular torso, while a long pleated dhoti is tied at his waist.
The current small bronze figure of Avalokiteshvara exemplifies the typical area features of the Swat Valley, witnessing stylistic developments during the early phase of Buddhist art. The Swat Valley is located along the upper stream of the Indus in the heartland of the Gandhara region. It was a melting pot of various people and arts and served as a link between India and Central Asia and further eastwards for a constant flow of Buddhist pilgrims. As heightened by the depictions of facial features and close-fitting drapery with well-defined parallel pleats, the present bronze figure of Avalokiteshvara echoes the inherited traditions of Gandhara and offers traces from later Kashmiri prototypes. For a remarkable bronze figure of Padmapani displaying a number of distinct stylistic criteria that offer various attributions, see an example from the Swat Valley, dated to 6th/7th century, sold at Christie’s New York, 23 March 1999, lot 22 for $90,500. Another similar sized example of a standing bodhisattva in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum, (acc. No. 1987.142.312), whose modeling is a reminiscence of Gupta prototypes with a high level of metalworking techniques of the Swat Valley region.
The current small bronze figure of Avalokiteshvara exemplifies the typical area features of the Swat Valley, witnessing stylistic developments during the early phase of Buddhist art. The Swat Valley is located along the upper stream of the Indus in the heartland of the Gandhara region. It was a melting pot of various people and arts and served as a link between India and Central Asia and further eastwards for a constant flow of Buddhist pilgrims. As heightened by the depictions of facial features and close-fitting drapery with well-defined parallel pleats, the present bronze figure of Avalokiteshvara echoes the inherited traditions of Gandhara and offers traces from later Kashmiri prototypes. For a remarkable bronze figure of Padmapani displaying a number of distinct stylistic criteria that offer various attributions, see an example from the Swat Valley, dated to 6th/7th century, sold at Christie’s New York, 23 March 1999, lot 22 for $90,500. Another similar sized example of a standing bodhisattva in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum, (acc. No. 1987.142.312), whose modeling is a reminiscence of Gupta prototypes with a high level of metalworking techniques of the Swat Valley region.