11th Apr, 2024 11:00
TWO-DAY AUCTION: Fine Asian Art, Buddhism and Hinduism
41
A RARE GILT BRONZE FIGURE OF WILLOW GUANYIN, TANG DYNASTY
Sold for €7,150
including Buyer's Premium
China, 618-907. Finely cast, standing in samabhanga atop a double-lotus dais raised on a four-legged aproned base. She is holding a drooping willow branch in her right hand and a water vessel in her left hand, wearing long flowing robes tied at the waist, and adorned with beaded jewelry. The hair stretches out to the sides and is surmounted by a seated Buddha Amitabha with hands folded in anjali mudra, enclosed by a flaming areole.
Provenance: From the estate of Phillip Allen (1938-2022), who was a widely respected collector and expert of Chinese ceramics and works of art as well as a director of the Oriental Ceramic Society for many years. He co-authored and edited several exhibition catalogues for the OCS and was best known as the cataloguer of the Sir Victor Sassoon collection of Chinese ivories in the British Museum.
Condition: Very good condition, commensurate with age, with old wear, casting flaws, rubbing and minor losses to gilt, small dents, minuscule nicks, some corrosion. The bronze has a fine, naturally grown patina with scattered malachite and cuprite encrustations.
Weight: 276.4 g
Dimensions: Height 19.4 cm
This rare figure is a fine example of Tang gilt-bronze sculpture and displays many characteristics of the period. Willow Guanyin is a very popular subject during the Tang dynasty, and probably gained prominence after the early 8th century. An early example of this iconography is the mural painting of the Willow Guanyin on the west wall in Cave 320 of Dunhuang, in which the deity is depicted holding a willow branch in her right hand, and an ambrosia bottle in her left, just like the present figure.
Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Christie’s New York, 14 September 2017, lot 827
Price: USD 37,500 or approx. EUR 43,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A small gilt-bronze standing figure of a bodhisattva, Tang dynasty
Expert remark: Compare the closely related manner of casting, gilding, and modeling with similar base. Note the smaller size (9.8 cm).
China, 618-907. Finely cast, standing in samabhanga atop a double-lotus dais raised on a four-legged aproned base. She is holding a drooping willow branch in her right hand and a water vessel in her left hand, wearing long flowing robes tied at the waist, and adorned with beaded jewelry. The hair stretches out to the sides and is surmounted by a seated Buddha Amitabha with hands folded in anjali mudra, enclosed by a flaming areole.
Provenance: From the estate of Phillip Allen (1938-2022), who was a widely respected collector and expert of Chinese ceramics and works of art as well as a director of the Oriental Ceramic Society for many years. He co-authored and edited several exhibition catalogues for the OCS and was best known as the cataloguer of the Sir Victor Sassoon collection of Chinese ivories in the British Museum.
Condition: Very good condition, commensurate with age, with old wear, casting flaws, rubbing and minor losses to gilt, small dents, minuscule nicks, some corrosion. The bronze has a fine, naturally grown patina with scattered malachite and cuprite encrustations.
Weight: 276.4 g
Dimensions: Height 19.4 cm
This rare figure is a fine example of Tang gilt-bronze sculpture and displays many characteristics of the period. Willow Guanyin is a very popular subject during the Tang dynasty, and probably gained prominence after the early 8th century. An early example of this iconography is the mural painting of the Willow Guanyin on the west wall in Cave 320 of Dunhuang, in which the deity is depicted holding a willow branch in her right hand, and an ambrosia bottle in her left, just like the present figure.
Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Christie’s New York, 14 September 2017, lot 827
Price: USD 37,500 or approx. EUR 43,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A small gilt-bronze standing figure of a bodhisattva, Tang dynasty
Expert remark: Compare the closely related manner of casting, gilding, and modeling with similar base. Note the smaller size (9.8 cm).
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