IMPORTANTE ET RARE STATUE DE BOUDDHA EN BOIS LAQUÉ ET DORÉ DYNASTIE QING, XVIIE-XVIIIE SIÈCLE |

assis en vajraparyankasana, la main droite levée en vitarka mudra, la main gauche reposant en dhyana mudra, habillé d’une longue robe nouée sous sa poitrine et couvrant ses épaules, retombant en de nombreux plis sur ses bras et ses chevilles, le visage à l’expression méditative, les yeux baissés, le sourire légèrement esquissé, les oreilles aux long lobes retombant, les cheveux coiffés en petite boucles et retenues en un haut chignon enserrant l’ushnisha    

There are overall losses to the lacquer gilding, particularly to the sharp edges of the design and around the base, the largest ca. 6x3cm wide. The figure's left earlobe appears to have been broken off and reattached. The surface was covered in the past with a reddish varnish which is crackled any with scattered folds. Unterneath, the bright gold lacquer is visible in some places. The base sealed. A ca. 1cm large jade or glass bead at the centre of the forehead.
"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."

It is rare to find a lacquered wood figure of Shakyamuni Buddha of this impressive size. The technique of coating carved wooden figures with gilt-lacquer appears to have emerged in the early Ming dynasty and continued into the late Ming or early Qing dynasty when this figure was made. Characterized by a deeply coloured gilding atop a thick red lacquer surface, figures of this large size made in lacquered wood are likely to have been made to imitate patinated gilt-bronze figures. A highly-valued material, but significantly less expensive than bronze, such gilt-lacquer sculptures would have been commissioned and donated to temples by the gentry. The present may be related to a corpus of large Buddhist gilt-lacquer sculpture commissioned during the reigns of the Kangxi and Qianlong Emperors at the Buddhist site of Rehol, near Chengde in Hebei province. Probably the best known examples of large gilt-lacquered wood sculptures include a massive gilt-lacquered sculpture of a Thousand-Armed Avalokiteshvara at the Puning temple at Rehol, and three massive figures of Buddha in the Zongyin Hall of the Pule Si, also at Rehol, illustrated in Du Jiang Buddhist Art from Rehol: Tibetan Buddhist Images and Ritual Objects from the Qing dynasty Summer Palace at Chengde, Taipei, 1999, p. 29. See a related gilt-lacquered figure of Buddha, sold at Christie’s New York, 22nd September 1987, lot 351; and a figure sold in our London rooms, 17th November 1999, lot 711. Compare also a figure of the same style but much smaller size, sold in Sotheby's Hong Kong, 3rd October 2017, lot 3669.