China, 907-1125. Finely cast standing in samabhanga on a circular lotus dais supported on a waisted base, holding his right hand in vitarka mudra and a scroll in his left. He is wearing a loose-fitting monastic robe with superbly rendered folds, cascading in an elegantly curving motion at the back, while the sleeves are naturalistically pulled forward by his gestures. His serene face with heavy-lidded eyes and full lips, flanked by long pendulous lobes. His hair arranged in tight curls over the domed ushnisha.

Provenance: Polak Works of Art, Amsterdam, 2016. An important private collection in Budapest, Hungary, acquired from the above at TEFAF in Maastricht. A copy of the original invoice from Polak Works of Art, dated 5 April 2016, accompanies this lot. Polak Works of Art is a gallery near the Rijksmuseum run by Jaap Polak, one of the last generalists in the art and antiques trade, offering an eclectic collection of archeological finds and works of art from all over the world and every period. The gallery also houses an extensive and important archive on Indo Javenese Art, known as The Documentation Centre for Ancient Indonesian Art, and regularly exhibits at TEFAF in Maastricht.
Condition: Very good condition, commensurate with age. Extensive wear, signs of weathering and erosion, encrustations, casting flaws, small nicks, minor rubbing to gilt, tiny dents, and minuscule losses. The bronze with a rich, naturally grown patina with malachite and cuprite encrustations.

Weight: 275.4 g
Dimensions: Height 14 cm

Expert’s note: The bronze is covered in a superb, lustrous gilding of rose gold (made from a gold alloy with a higher copper concentration), which is well preserved. It is extremely rare to find such a uniquely colored gilding in Chinese bronzes from this period.

Literature comparison:
Compare a related gilt-bronze figure of Guanyin, with similar lotus base and robes, 34.4 cm high, dated to the Liao dynasty, in the Art Institute of Chicago, reference number 1926.272. Compare a relate gilt-bronze standing figure, with similar robes, 11.1 cm high, dated to the Liao dynasty, in the Museum of East Asian Art, Bath, record number BATEA: 1070.

Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Sotheby’s Hong Kong, 8 October 2013, lot 3292
Price: HKD 325,000 or approx. EUR 49,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A small gilt-bronze standing figure of Buddha, Liao dynasty
Expert remark: Compare the closely related modeling and manner of casting. Note the different base.

Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Christie’s New York, 17 September 2008, lot 392
Price: USD 74,500 or approx. EUR 100,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A rare small gilt-bronze figure of Buddha, Liao dynasty
Expert remark: Compare the closely related modeling and manner of casting, with similar lotus base. Note the identical size (14 cm) and the different pose.