A gilt-copper repoussé figure of Amitayus, Inner Mongolia, 18th century

Collection of Ganna Walska (1887-1984).

Shambhala International, gifted in 1984.

Sotheby's New York, 28th March 1996, lot 4.

The repoussé gilt copper figure of Amitayus is typical of the large temple statues made in Inner Mongolian centres such as Dolonnor and Chahar: compare the sculptural style, the particular jewel settings of the necklaces and crown, and the complex method of construction of a set of gilt copper statues of Vajrapani, Shadakshari and Manjushri acquired by the geographer and explorer Sven Hedin (1865-1952) in Chahar, Inner Mongolia during the 1930s. The statues are now in the Folkens Museum Etnografiska, Stockholm, see Rhie and Thurman, The Sacred Art of Tibet: Wisdom and Compassion, Thames and Hudson, 1991, cat. nos 1, 35 and 36.