TWO EXTREMELY RARE FAMILLE-ROSE FIGURES OF KSITIGARBHA QING DYNASTY, QIANLONG / JIAQING PERIOD

each modeled seated in dhyanasana with hands folded together on the lap supporting the cintamani (wish-fulfilling jewel), wearing brightly enameled robes of yellow, red and turquoise draped into voluminous folds, the serene face with downcast eyes and framed by a pair of pendulous ears, wearing a polychrome five-leaf diadem with each leaf enclosing the Amitabha, all supported on a double-lotus base, wood stands (4)

Imperial Oriental Art, New York.

One figure has restoration to the lower central lotus petal, the petal immediately to its left, and to the front two corners of the robe. There is also a glaze flake to one of the restored petal tips and a crack present in the front left robe corner. The other figure with three sections of restoration to the front of the robe and legs, the longest section wrapping around the figure's right knee and measuring approximately 7.5 cm wide. There is a crack in the top corner of the lotus throne below the aforementioned corner as well. Each figure has minor firing flaws including glaze pulls throughout, crazing to the glaze, and minor wear.
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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

The present figures of Ksitigarbha belong to a small group of famille-rose Buddhist figures created in the Qing dynasty using developments in porcelain production to successfully capture the long tradition of using bright colors to adorn deities of Tibetan Buddhism. The introduction of the famille-rose palette enabled craftsmen to produce porcelain figures and utilize the full spectrum of color schemes on Buddhist figures. However, probably due to the fragility of the modeling and the multiple firings required to achieve desired results, only a small numbers of figures appear to have been produced. 

See a closely related example from the Yamanaka collection, sold in our New York rooms, 14th-16th June 1944, lot 651; and a further figure sold at Nagel Auctions, Germany, 30th October 2013, lot 48.

A related figure belonging to this group, reputedly from the Imperial Palace, was included in the Exhibition of Chinese Arts, Messrs. C.T. Loo & Co., New York, 1941, cat. no. 750. For a smaller and less elaborately decorated figure, see a pair illustrated in Qingdai ciqi shangjian [Appreciation of Qing dynasty ceramics], Hong Kong, 1994, pl. 232. Other examples sold at auction include an impressive Qianlong period famille-rose figure of Amitayus, sold twice in our Hong Kong rooms, 29th October 2001, lot 606, and again, 8th April 2013, lot 3055; a figure of Guanyin, sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 29th April 2002, lot 705; a White Tara sold at Christie’s New York, 18th September 2003, lot 371; and a further figure of a seated Amitayus, sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 28th May 2014, lot 3465. A rare famille-rose lama, inscribed to the base and dated to the 47th year of Qianlong (1782), was sold at Christie’s New York, 18th/19th September 2014, lot 967.

Known as Dayuan Dizang Pusa in China, Ksitigarbha is the supreme leader of the underworld. He vowed to take responsibility for the instruction of all beings in the six worlds and not achieve Buddhahood unless all hells were emptied. While in earlier eras he was depicted as a traditional bodhisattva, by the Song dynasty he was usually represented as a Buddhist monk dressed in monastic robes and holding a wish-fulfilling jewel (cintamani), as seen in the present examples. He was also shown holding a staff, which was used to alert insects and small animals of his approach so that he would not accidentally cause harm. His image is similar to that of the fictional version of Xuanzang (or Tang Sanzang) from the Chinese classical novel Journey to the West, so observers sometimes would misattribute them.