Edward Luper
Specialist, Chinese Works of Art
Lot 107
A rare and large gilt-bronze figure of Vairocana 17th century
10 November 2016, 10:30 GMT
London, New Bond StreetSold for £155,000 inc. premium
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A rare and large gilt-bronze figure of Vairocana
17th century
The finely-cast deity seated in dhyanasana with the hands in uttrabhodi mudra, the eyes slightly downcast with a serene expression flanked by elongated earlobes suspending ornate earrings, all beneath blue-painted snailshell curls surrounded by a tall pierced tiara enclosing seated Buddhas and issuing ribbons falling over the shoulders, the elegantly flowing robes revealing a plain chest with a long life symbol, the base unsealed and with scrolls visible in the interior. 47cm (18 1/2in) high
The finely-cast deity seated in dhyanasana with the hands in uttrabhodi mudra, the eyes slightly downcast with a serene expression flanked by elongated earlobes suspending ornate earrings, all beneath blue-painted snailshell curls surrounded by a tall pierced tiara enclosing seated Buddhas and issuing ribbons falling over the shoulders, the elegantly flowing robes revealing a plain chest with a long life symbol, the base unsealed and with scrolls visible in the interior. 47cm (18 1/2in) high
Footnotes
十七世紀 銅鎏金彌勒菩薩結跏跌坐像
Provenance: a German private collection
來源：德國私人收藏
Considered the primordial Buddha, Vairocana was also deemed the embodiment of the Buddhist concept of emptiness, sunyata and encompassing wisdom, one of the qualities of the Five Dhyani Buddhas, represented on the pointed crown. The uttrabodhi mudra displayed by the figure represents Supreme Enlightenment, a quality possessed by one of the Five Dhyani Buddhas, of which Vairocana was one, the other four being Aksobhya, Ratnasambhava, Amitabha and Amoghasiddhi. The complete group, with Vairocana at the centre, is depicted on the pointed crown of the present figure.
A closely related, but much larger, figure of Vairocana, is displayed in the Royal Ontario Museum, accession no.921.31.30. Closely related figures of Vairocana, dating to the Ming dynasty, were sold at Christie's Hong Kong, 1 June 2011, lot 3770 and New York, 15 September 2011, lot 1383.
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