A pair of gilt-lacquered wood figures of bodhisattvas, Ming / early Qing dynasty

Christie's Amsterdam, 27th September 2005, lot 523 (part lot).

Richly gilt-lacquered and imposing in size, the present pair of bodhisattvas typify later Ming dynasty Buddhist sculpture. The serene, downcast faces with full cheeks and upturned, bow-shaped mouths are surmounted by elaborate crowns carved in openwork. The ornate decoration extends to the jewelry, with beaded necklaces hanging pendent on the exposed torso, and heavy folds of drapery gathered over the arms and pooling below the feet. More typically seen in bronze or iron, gilt-lacquered wood figures from the Ming dynasty are much more rare and less likely to have survived. The present pair, mirrored in pose and iconography, would have likely flanked a central figure of the Buddha Shakyamuni and such a trio would have been the main focus of worship in a Buddhist temple.