Gilded Copper Seated Statue of Tsongkhapa, 35th Year of Kangxi Reign, Qing Dynasty

拍品描述

Overall Height: 34.5cm/13.58in, Base Width: 19.7cm/7.76in, Weight:7127g; 17th Century Tibetan Buddhist SculptureCondition: The thick gilding layer remains largely intact with minor surface wear on the edges. The bronze core is solid without cracks or repairs. The carved inscriptions on the pedestal are crisp and legible. The double vajra symbol on the base is fully preserved, and delicate details including facial features and robe folds are well-conserved, covered by natural aged patina accumulated over centuries.Provenance: Private collection of a senior art collector based in San Francisco, California, USA. Acquired in 1992 from a long-established antique gallery in Bangkok, passed down within the family to the present day.This gorgeous gilded bronze Tsongkhapa statue bears a clear dated inscription from the 35th year of the Kangxi reign of the Qing Dynasty, ranking it as a top-tier imperial Tibetan Buddhist sculpture from early Qing China. Crafted from high-quality cast bronze and fully covered in thick, rich red gold gilding, the figure delivers a warm, deep metallic luster that only antique original gilded pieces can offer. The master wears the iconic pointed Gelugpa lama hat, paired with a full, gentle rounded face. His calm, downcast eyes are carved with incredible subtlety, red pigment still lingers on his lips, creating a compassionate and dignified aura that perfectly blends Han Chinese sculptural aesthetics with Tibetan religious iconography from the early 1700s.He sits in full lotus position atop a solid square pedestal. His right hand rises to his chest in the Vitarka Mudra, the gesture of teaching Dharma, while his left hand cradles a vajra and sacred vase, symbols of transcendent wisdom and the suppression of worldly suffering. The monastic robes drape over his body with natural, lifelike folds; every curved line is sharply chiseled to show the soft flow of fabric, a mark of master-level metalwork from imperial workshops.The front of the pedestal carries two rows of carved inscriptions. The top row features formal Chinese characters reading “Presented as an offering on the fifth day of the fourth month, the thirty-fifth year of the Kangxi reign of the Great Qing”, and the bottom row holds complete Mongolian script, serving as an unshakable dating marker that’s extremely rare on surviving Qing Buddhist statues. The pedestal sides are decorated with repeating scrolling grass and dot patterns, layered to create rich visual depth. The flat base underside is engraved with a double vajra enclosing a yin-yang symbol, a sacred auspicious motif central to Tibetan Buddhism.Weighing a substantial 7127 grams, this sculpture feels solid and heavy in hand. Every step of its creation—casting, gilding, fine chiseling, and inscription carving—reflects unmatched imperial craftsmanship. It balances the grand, formal bearing of palace-made art with the delicate, soulful details of Tibetan religious statuary. Dated inscribed examples like this are exceedingly scarce in the market, making it a museum-worthy treasure with irreplaceable artistic and historical research value.

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