Lot 61
  • 61

A GILT-BRONZE FIGURE OF A SEATED BUDDHA EARLY TANG DYNASTY |

Estimate
40,000 - 60,000 USD
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Description

  • Height 5 5/8  in., 14.2 cm
hollow-cast with the upper body molded in the round and the lower half formed as a shaped façade for attachment to a support, the Buddha seated in bhadrasana with the feet resting on a blossoming lotus-form column, the right hand held in abhayamudra, the left hand placed on the left knee with the palm down, the body draped in a loose robe falling in rhythmic folds against the slender form beneath, the head gently bowed, the serene face framed by pendulous ears and a domed usnisha, a short tang extending from the lower edge of the column and another beneath the Buddha's seat, wood stand (2)

Provenance

Eastern Pacific Co., Hong Kong, 28th April 1986.
Collection of Florence (1920-2018) and Herbert (1917-2016) Irving, no. 994.

Condition

There are losses to the proper right fingertips and scattered flakes to the surface which have oxidized (all as illustrated). The tangs extending beneath the seat and column have been reduced. Please note that this lot includes a stand, frame or other component made from a type of Chinese hardwood, which, if exported, will require a CITES permit to leave the United States.
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.

Catalogue Note

Small gilt-bronze votive images of the 'Teaching Buddha' were produced in the Sui and Tang dynasties. They are characterized by the Buddha seated on an elevated base with the folds of the robe draping over the edge of the seat and the right hand raised in abhayamudra. The base would have been secured to either an individual stand, or installed among bodhisattvas and other figures as part of an altar group with a shared stand.
The present figure sits in bhadrasana, which distinguishes it from most votives of this type that show the Buddha in dhyanasana. Other gilt-bronze 'Teaching Buddha' votives that depict the Buddha in bhadrasana atop a lotus-form base include a Sui dynasty example in the collection of the National Palace Museum, Taipei, illustrated in The Crucible of Compassion and Wisdom, Taipei, 1987, pl. 75; a Tang dynasty one that is part of an altar group in the collection of the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, illustrated in René-Yvon Lefebvre d'Argencé, Chinese, Korean, and Japanese Sculpture: the Avery Brundage Collection, Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, Tokyo and New York, 1974, pl. 92; and a Tang dynasty figure from the Arthur M. Sackler Collection sold in these rooms, 18th March 2009, lot 245.