A LARGE (40 CM) GILT-BRONZE FIGURE OF EKADASHAMUKHA AVALOKITESHVARA, TIBET, 17TH-18TH CENTURY

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A LARGE (40 CM) GILT-BRONZE FIGURE OF EKADASHAMUKHA AVALOKITESHVARA, TIBET, 17TH-18TH CENTURY Expert’s Note The sealing of the chamber for sacred objects at the back is lost, allowing a view into the interior, where several papers are visible. These have deliberately neither been removed nor lifted to avoid any risk of damage. It is therefore quite possible that further objects remain concealed within the chamber. Finely cast, the eleven-headed, eight-armed bodhisattva depicted standing in samabhanga with his principal hands clasped before the chest in anjali mudra, while the remaining six arms radiate around the torso. Two hands hold a water vessel (kundika) and a Dharma wheel (dharmachakra); another is extended in varada mudra, the open palm displaying the eye of wisdom; and, the remaining three are raised in karana mudra. The figure is clad in a close-fitting dhoti and a billowing shawl draped over the shoulders, while richly embellished with beaded jewelry suspended from the neck and waist. The deity has eleven heads arranged in three tiers of three, each with a serene expression, cobalt-blue hair, and a lotus-petal tiara. Above them is the wrathful head of a deity with reddish hair, crowned by a diadem of skulls, which is surmounted by a small head of Buddha Amitabha, likewise bearing a meditative countenance. Dimensions: Height 40.3 cm (excl. stand), 48.2 cm (incl. stand) With a modern base. (2) One Buddhist story tells of Avalokiteshvara vowing never to rest until he had freed all sentient beings from samsara. Despite strenuous effort, he realizes that many unhappy beings were yet to be saved. After struggling to comprehend the needs of so many, his head splits into eleven pieces. Amitabha, seeing his plight, gives him eleven heads with which to hear the cries of the suffering. Upon hearing these cries and comprehending them, Avalokiteshvara tries to reach out to all those who needed aid but found that his two arms were shattered into pieces. Once more, Amitabha comes to his aid and invests him with a thousand arms with which to aid the suffering multitudes. Literature comparison: Compare a closely related Chinese gilt-bronze figure of eleven-headed Avalokiteshvara, dated 17th-18th century, in the Tokyo National Museum, collection reference number TC.271. Compare a related gilt-bronze figure of an eleven-headed Avalokiteshvara, 18th century, illustrated by Ulrich von Schroeder, Indo-Tibetan Bronzes, Hong Kong, 2008, p. 552-553, pl.´158C. Compare a related gilt-bronze figure of an eleven-headed Avalokiteshvara, dated 17th/18th century, illustrated in Buddhist Images in Gilt Metal, Taipei, 1993, p. 106, no. 46. Compare a related earlier gilt brass figure of eleven-headed Avalokiteshvara, Central Tibet, dated 16th century, 76.8 cm high, in the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), accession number M.86.220.2. Auction result comparison: Type: Closely related Auction: Koller Basel, 7 May 2013, lot 133 Price: CHF 33,600 or approx. EUR 38,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing Expert remark: Compare the closely related modeling, manner of casting, gilding, decoration, subject, and size (41 cm). Auction result comparison: Type: Closely related Auction: Bonhams London, 9 November 2017, lot 210 Mid-Estimate: GBP 25,000 or approx. EUR 40,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing Expert remark: Compare the closely related modeling, manner of casting, gilding, and subject. Note the smaller size (29 cm).

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