Sotheby's. Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art, Hong Kong, 08 April 2014
An Imperial Ivory Shrine of Avalokitesvara, Qing Dynasty, Qianlong Period
Lot 3137. An Imperial Ivory Shrine of Avalokitesvara, Qing Dynasty, Qianlong Period (1736-1795); 20.6 cm., 8 1/8 in. Estimate 1,200,000 — 1,500,000 HKD. Lot sold 2,920,000 HKD (274,895 EUR). Photo: Sotheby's
carved as the bodhisattva Avalokitesvara standing in a niche framed by thin jagged rockwork resembling mountains, an en face dragon writhing amidst ruyi-shaped clouds near the summits above, the deity standing inside the niche adorned with earrings and wearing a five-leaf crown, framed with two crowned heads on each side and three above, all surmounted by the head of Amitabha Buddha, all receding in size from main head, dressed in a billowling shawl and beribboned dhoti and adorned with bejwelled accessories, the main pair of arms held in front of the chest in namaskara mudra with the auxilliary hands held in karana and tarjani while holding ritual objects including a kendi, bow and arrow, dharma wheel, lotus flower and mala beads, the reverse carved with jagged mountains and two confronting dragons against ruyi-shaped clouds.
Provenance: Collection of Lü Xiaguang (1906-1994).
Note: This shrine is remarkable for the intricacy of the carved details, apparent in the superb rendering of the scarves and jewellery adorning Avalokitesvara, the fine articulation of her fingertips and feet, and the dynamic dragon that emerges from clouds. This dragon also endows the piece with its imperial status, and combined with the Buddhist figure it suggests the Qing emperors’ devotion to Buddhism and their presiding protection over the religion.
An ivory figure of a Buddha seated on a hexagonal plinth, similarly inspired by Tibetan prototypes and attributed to the 18th century, from the Sir Victor Sassoon Chinese Ivory Trust, was included in the exhibition Chinese Ivories. From the Shang to the Qing, British Museum, London, 1984, cat. no. 121. See also an ivory sculpture of a standing Avalokitesara illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum. Buddhist Statues of Tibet, vol. 60, Hong Kong, 2003, pl. 258.
The popularity of Esoteric Buddhism peaked during the Qianlong period, with the emperor ordering the construction of several shrines both within and outside the Palace, which were then furnished with Buddhist images made from various materials. See for example a gilt bronze sculpture of an eight-armed Avalokitesvara holding the ritual objects, included in the exhibition Buddhist Art from Rehol. Tibetan Buddhist Images and ritual objects from the Qing Dynasty Summer Palace at Chengde, The Chang Foundation, Taipei, 1999, cat. no. 14.