Beschreibung:

Lot details China, 16th century. Finely cast seated in dhyanasana, the hands held in karana mudra, her left holding a bowl of elixir. She is wearing long flowing robes with well carved folds and neatly incised floral hems, and is richly adorned with fine jewelry. Her serene face with heavy-lidded downcast eyes and full lips forming a subtle smile, flanked by long pendulous earlobes suspending elaborate earrings. Provenance: From an old private collection in Paris, France, and thence by descent. French trade, acquired from the above. Condition: Superb condition. Some old wear, minor casting flaws, few minuscule nicks and light scratches. The gilt is well-preserved overall. The separately cast willow twig in her right is lost. Note that all exposed areas, and particularly the delicate crown, show no losses or signs of repair whatsoever. Fine, naturally grown patina. A 16th-century gilt-bronze figure in such magnificent condition is extremely rare. Weight: 6,729 g (excl. stand) Dimensions: Height 36 cm (excl. stand) and 41 cm (incl. base) The neatly incised hair falling elegantly in strands over the shoulders and tied up into a high chignon behind the open worked foliate crown centered by a small image of the Buddha Amitabha. With an old fitted wood base dating from the Qing dynasty. (2) According to the Lotus Sutra, Avalokiteshvara can take any form necessary to save sentient beings. Thirty-three manifestations of Avalokiteshvara are mentioned and are known to have been very popular in Chinese Buddhism as early as the Sui and Tang Dynasties. The present lot depicts the bodhisattva in a manifestation known as Bhaisajyaraja Avalokiteshvara, or the ‘Willow Leaf’ Guanyin in Chinese. In this form, the bodhisattva holds a vial or bowl of elixir in the left and a stalk of willow leaves in the right, which was cast separately for the present statue and is now lost. The willow has evil dispelling properties and is used to sprinkle the elixir over devotees, which is believed to cure all physical and spiritual illnesses. This iconographic form was popular among devotees wishing for good health. Buddhist gilt-bronze figures were produced almost from the beginning when Buddhism was embraced by various courts of China’s division after the Han dynasty. Until the Tang dynasty, however, they remained very small. One of the earliest developments away from small votive images took place in the Khitan Liao dynasty, when statues not only became bigger but also developed stylistically towards a more sculptural aesthetic. During the early Ming period the court took complete control of their production, and a distinct classic style was devised that would determine the design of all future Buddhist gilt-bronze images, including the present lot. Auction result comparison: Type: Closely related Auction: Sotheby’s Paris, 11 December 2018, lot 81 Price: EUR 50,000 or approx. EUR 57,000 adjusted for inflation at the time of writing Description: Statuette de Guanyin en bronze doré, dynastie Ming Expert remark: Compare the closely related pose, expression, robes, jewelry, hair, and crown. Note the smaller size (32 cm). Auction result comparison: Type: Related Auction: Sotheby’s London, 7 November 2018, lot 66 Price: GBP 100,000 or approx. EUR 135,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing Description: A lacquered parcel-gilt bronze figure of Guanyin, Ming dynasty, 16th century Expert remark: Compare the related pose, expression, robes, jewelry, hair, and crown. Note the larger size (47 cm) and that the statue has only partial gilding. 明代大型楊柳觀音鎏金銅像 中國，十六世紀。觀音結跏趺坐，左手托淨瓶，右手當胸持楊柳枝作拋灑甘露的手勢。面相豐頤，曲眉似彎月與鼻樑相連，眼瞼較寬，神態慈和寧靜；雙眼微合，俯視前方；頭戴花冠，冠葉雕刻精細，冠正面有化佛阿彌陀佛。身軀雄健，體態優美，整體莊嚴神聖而又慈祥親切。胸前飾瓔珞，下身著高束腰及胸長裙，衣紋厚重，自然流暢，衣緣鏨刻大朵花紋飾樣，雕刻精細，紋飾清晰，鮮明的漢地造像裝飾風格。整體形態端莊。 來源：法國私人舊藏；法國古玩交易，購於上述收藏。 品相：狀況極好，一些磨損，輕微的鑄造缺陷，一些微小的刻痕和輕微的劃痕，鎏金整體保存極好，右手中原先拿的柳枝遺失。請注意，造像沒有任何修復跡象。細膩自然的包漿。如此精美的明末鎏金造像極為罕見。 重量：6,729 克 (不含底座) 尺寸：高 36 厘米(不含底座)，含底座41 厘米 木底座應來自清代。 觀世音菩薩是佛教中慈悲和智慧的象徵，無論在大乘佛教還是在民間信仰，都