Lot 3045
  • 3045

A large gilt-bronze figure of the ascetic Sakyamuni Yuan Dynasty

Estimate
1,500,000 - 2,000,000 HKD
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Description

the finely cast figure seated in vajrasana on a circular ground cloth decorated with Buddhist emblems, butterflies and sprigs, wearing loose robes falling in crisp folds over his dhoti tied at the waist, the hems finely incised with a lotus scroll reserved on a circle-punched ground, the dhoti with florets, his hands clasped in uttarhabodimudra, his chest marked with a wan emblem, his serene face with eyes closed in meditation, with hair, moustache and beard arranged in tight curls below the oval ushnisha, wood stand

Provenance

Christie's Hong Kong, 30th October 1994, lot 389.

Condition

Good overall condition with expected wear to the gilding. Light denting to the surface of the right-side knees and the removal of the base plate.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Catalogue Note

Compare with the large seated gilt-bronze Sakyamuni in The Cleveland Museum of Art dated to the 14th Century, illustrated by Sherman Lee, Chinese Art Under the Mongols: The Yuan Dynasty (1279-1368), Sculpture, pl. 18 where the author notes "a work of this quality and size strongly suggests that it originated in the government workshops, under the auspices of the directorate of "lost-wax" products.

Ulrich von Schroeder discusses the rarity of the Yuan dynasty bronzes in his volume Indo-Tibetan Bronzes on p. 511, "only three of the illustrated images, which may date from the Yuan Dynasty, are clearly products of Chinese craftsmenship, since they do not follow Nepalese or Tibetan prototypes: Mahakala (fig. 143B), Arhat Bhadra (143C); and Siddhartha (fig. 143E)". The present lot is another such example.