Lot 156. A gilt bronze eleven headed standing figure of Avalokiteshvara, Sino-Tibetan, Ming Dynasty (1368-1644); 26,8cm high. Estimate HK$80,000 - 120,000. Sold for HK$ 112,500 (€ 13,345). Photo: Bonhams.

The Bodhisattva fixed on a lotus base, crowned with heads arranged in five tiers, the top with a small head of Amitabha Buddha, above a wrathful head followed by nine heads with a serene expression, all above a slender body wearing ornate jewelry and loose robes with eight outstretched hands, the principal hands held in prayer with other hands carrying prayers beads, a kalasha, or in various mudras.

Note: The origin of the eleven-headed Avalokiteshvara is shrouded by many legends. In one version, after seeing no decrease in the suffering of living things, the Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara's head split into a thousand pieces in despair. His spiritual father Amitabha consolidated them into ten heads and placed them above each other, then put his own head on top. The wrathful aspect of Avalokiteshvara, Mahakala, came into existence to fight against negative forces with compassion, guiding all living things toward righteousness and achieving enlightenment.

Compare an early Ming Tibetan example in the Museum der Kulturen Basel, illustrated in Tibet. Buddhas. Gods. Saints., 2001, no.20b. For a Qing Dynasty example in the Jacques Marchais Museum of Tibetan Art, which was exhibited in the City Gallery, New York, March-April 1998, see B.Lipton & N.Ragnubs, Treasures of Tibetan Art. Collections of the Jacques Marchais Museum of Tibetan Art, 1996, no.74.

Bonhams. FINE CHINESE CERAMICS AND WORKS OF ART, Hong Kong, Admiralty, 26 May 2014