Mark Rasmussen
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Lot 27
A large gilt repoussé figure of a bodhisattva Qing, Possibly Dolonor, 18th century
17 March 2014, 13:00 EDT
New YorkSold for US$185,000 inc. premium
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A large gilt repoussé figure of a bodhisattva
Qing, Possibly Dolonor, 18th century
His hands in the gesture of explication and generosity or boon-granting, and delicate leafy stems flanking each shoulder supporting a lotus pod and blossom, adorned with a five-leaf crown, sumptuous jewelry and swirling scarf, and raised on a large lotus platform.
33 1/2 in. (85 cm) high
His hands in the gesture of explication and generosity or boon-granting, and delicate leafy stems flanking each shoulder supporting a lotus pod and blossom, adorned with a five-leaf crown, sumptuous jewelry and swirling scarf, and raised on a large lotus platform.
33 1/2 in. (85 cm) high
Footnotes
The present lot likely originates from Dolonor, displaying numerous similarities with other sculptures attributed to these workshops. Of obvious comparison are the triple tiered hair, jewelery, lotus stems, and pedestals present in two examples from the Kandell Collection published in Rhie and Thurman, A Shrine for Tibet, New York, 2010, nos. I-14a,b & I-15a,b, pp.76-9. A third closely related example, held in the Qing Summer Palace in Chengde, is published in Chang & Jiang, Buddhist Art from Rehol, Taipei, 1999, p. 75, no. 16.
The great interest shown in Tibetan Buddhism by the early Qing emperors gave rise to a tremendous increase in, and expansion of, Vajrayana temples, particularly in the border regions around China. Under the Qianlong emperor (r.1735-95), Dolonnor in Inner Mongolia was a major center for the vast production of sculpture and ritual adornments that met the sudden great demand to adorn these temples.
This large image would have been part of an iconographic set of the Eight Great Bodhisattvas flanking a central Buddha, similar to a gilt clay group in the Great Sutra Hall (Daijingtang), founded in 1711. In discussion of the fusion of Tibetan and Chinese elements in such images, Rhie cites the strong presentation of the body and the use of inset stones as typical of Tibetan sculpture of the period, while the leafy lotus stems rising up by the arms are known in Ming sculpture (Rhie & Thurman, 2010, pp.31-2).
Provenance:
Private Long Island Collection
Acquired by inheritance in 40s/50s and with an appraisal document dated 23 December 1975.