Mark Rasmussen
International Director
Lot 28
A gilt copper alloy figure of Buddha Qianlong period, 1736-1796
18 September 2013, 10:00 EDT
New YorkSold for US$158,500 inc. premium
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A gilt copper alloy figure of Buddha
Qianlong period, 1736-1796
Brilliantly gilded and finely cast, standing on a lotus pedestal, adorned in an outer robe draped in symmetrical raised folds with incised collar and hems, right hand in abhaya mudra and left in varada mudra, his blissful facial expression with steadfast eyes and a serene smile, flanked by pendulous earlobes, the hair bound in high chignon.
6 7/8 in. (17.4 cm) high
Brilliantly gilded and finely cast, standing on a lotus pedestal, adorned in an outer robe draped in symmetrical raised folds with incised collar and hems, right hand in abhaya mudra and left in varada mudra, his blissful facial expression with steadfast eyes and a serene smile, flanked by pendulous earlobes, the hair bound in high chignon.
6 7/8 in. (17.4 cm) high
Footnotes
This type of Buddha image wearing a heavy, but diaphanous, robe falling in abstracted concentric folds is commonly referred to as the 'Udayana type' after the infamous legend of the first image of Buddha made during Buddha's lifetime. Recounted by the Chinese pilgrim Xuan Zang around 664 CE, King Udayana of Kaushambi in Swat Valley missed Buddha so much while the latter had ascended to heaven to preach to his mother that he commissioned a sandalwood image to comfort him. Another legend speaks of Kumarayama carrying a true copy of this Udayana Buddha on his back to the Kingdom of Kucha in Central Asia from where it was later relocated to Xi'an in 401 CE. There it is thought to have inspired even more copies which made their way as far as Nara, Japan in the late 6th century. In the 14th century, Yuan Emperor Tàidìng (1321-8 CE) commissioned a stone 'Udayana Buddha' which is located in Jiufeng Temple, Nanjing Province and became the prototype for many others.
An example of a Udayana type figure of Dipankara Buddha was sold at Bonhams, Hong Kong, 26 May 2013, lot 357. Further examples are held in the Harvard Art Museums (1956.202) and the Guimet Museum (see von Schroeder, Indo-Tibetan Bronzes, Hong Kong, 2008, pl. 158F pp.552-3).
Provenance:
Private American Collection