Lot 312. A large gilt-lacquer bronze figure of Avalokiteshvara, Ming dynasty, 15th-16th century. Height 14 3/4 in., 37.4 cm. Estimate USD 50,000 — 70,000. Lot sold 325,000 USD. Courtesy Sotheby's.
seated in vajraparyankasana, with the hands in abhaya and varada mudra, the shoulders flanked by a bird and a chilug ewer borne on blossoming lotuses from vines stemming from the hands, a small Amitabha figure enclosed within the elaborate, pierced crown, the ears and body heavily adorned with ornaments and jewels, all supported by a double-lotus base with pendent sashes.
Provenance: The Chang Foundation Collection.
Literature: Jintongfo zaoxiang tulu/Buddhist Images in Gilt Metal, Taipei, 1993, pl. 32.
Sotheby's. Bodies of Infinite Light Featuring an Important Collection of Buddhist Figures Formerly in the Collection of the Chang Foundation, New York, 10 Sep 2019.