A GILT COPPER ALLOY FIGURE OF MANJUSHRI, PALA REVIVAL, QING DYNASTY, 18TH CENTURY

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A GILT COPPER ALLOY FIGURE OF MANJUSHRI, PALA REVIVAL, QING DYNASTY, 18TH CENTURY Expert’s note: This figure follows Indian Pala period bronze prototypes, of which various examples were in the Chinese Imperial collection and which inspired the production of revival pieces during the first half of the Qing dynasty not only in Tibet, but also at the workshops of the Qing Imperial Court in Beijing. Tibetan-style Buddhism was revived to an extraordinary extent under the earlier Qing emperors, both for personal and political reasons, resulting in a surge in the production of Buddhist sculpture and painting. The artisans of the Beijing workshops increasingly emulated sculpture from different periods and geographic areas, using as models the bronzes given as gifts from Tibetan dignitaries to the Qing court. Examples of Pala-style sculpture, from 9th-12th century Northeastern India, still remain in The Palace Museum Collection. Compare a Pala-period bronze figure of Vajrasattva, illustrated in Cultural Relics of Tibetan Buddhism Collected in the Qing Palace, Beijing, 1992, catalogue, no. 56; and with a Pala-style Tibetan brass statue of Manjushri, see ibid., no. 53. Tibetan-Chinese. Elegantly cast, standing in a gently flexed pose atop a stepped double-lotus pedestal with plump petals, his right hand lowered in varadamudra and the left raised in vitarkamudra. Sinuous lotus stems rise along either side of the body, blossoming at the shoulders to support the sword and manuscript. He is clad in a short dhoti finely indented with foliate designs and richly adorned with necklaces, armlets, bracelets, anklets, and a jeweled girdle. The cold-painted gilt face bears a serene and steadfast expression, with rounded cheeks, sinuous eyes, an aquiline nose, and gently pursed lips, flanked by foliate earrings. The hair is arranged in a meticulously detailed jatamukuta behind a three-leaf tiara with trailing side ribbons, surmounted by a blossoming jewel. Dimensions: Height 17.7 cm Literature comparison: Compare a closely related Chinese bronze figure of Manjushri, Pala Revival, dated to the 18th century, illustrated on Himalayan Art Resources, item no. 44644. Compare a closely related Tibetan inlaid bronze figure of Avalokiteshvara, dated 17th-18th century, in the Hermitage Museum, Saint Petersburg. Auction result comparison: Type: Closely related Auction: Bonhams New York, 17 September 2014, lot 53 Price: USD 25,000 or approx. EUR 31,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing Expert remark: Compare the closely related modeling and similar pedestal, posture, and expression. Note the size (18 cm). Also note that this lot has lost its gilding almost entirely.

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