† A CAST AND REPOUSSÉ GILT COPPER ALLOY FIGURE OF AMITAYUS, QIANLONG PERIOD China, 1736-1795. The figure is shown seated in dhyanasana on a double-lotus base, the hands lowered in dhyana mudra, wearing loose-fitting robes decorated with foliate scroll at the hems, richly adorned with beaded, floral, and inlaid jewelry. The hair is pulled up into a tall double-topknot, falling elegantly in long segments down the sides of the shoulders, and surmounted by a jewel.

Provenance: A private collector in New York, USA.
Condition: Excellent condition with minor old wear, occasional light scratches, tiny nicks, few small dents. The base sealed. Some losses to inlays, some other inlays may be later replacements. Well-preserved ancient pigments. The amrita vase held in the figure’s hands is lost.

Weight: 4,077 g
Dimensions: Height 38.5 cm

The statue is made from solid and massively gilt copper alloy, as clearly evidenced by the lack of any dings or bent areas to body and base. Only the earrings, scarf, and strands of hair are executed in copper repoussé.

The serene face shows heavy-lidded eyes, gently arched brows centered by an urna, and full lips forming a calm smile, flanked by long pendulous earlobes.

The present work exhibits many characteristics common to the Buddhist workshops of the Qianlong period, such as the combination of cast and repoussé parts, the languid and slightly effeminate treatment of the face and body, and the tightly waisted double-lotus base with broad petals. The Qing court patronage of Buddhism that began under the Kangxi Emperor reached epic proportions under his grandson, the Qianlong Emperor. The Buddhist centers of Beijing, Rehol, and Dolonnor produced thousands upon thousands of images to keep up with the demand of the numerous temples in and outside the capital.

Auction result comparison: Compare a related cast and repoussé figure of a bodhisattva, belonging to the same group as the present lot, 37.1 cm high, also dated to the Qianlong period, at Christie’s New York in Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art on 16 September 2016, lot 1231, sold for USD 35,000.

13% VAT will be added to the hammer price additional to the buyer’s premium – only for buyers within the EU. 乾隆時期鎏金銅錘揲觀音坐蓮像
中國，1736-1795年。髮髻高聳，耳垂花璫，髮綹層疊垂落披肩。細眉長目微閉，鼻樑挺秀，雙眉間有白毫，雙唇微抿，神情柔和。上身坦露，飾項圈和長鏈，雙肩披帔帛，飾瓔珞，臂釧、手臅等，下身著貼體薄裙，腰纖細，繫有寶帶，結跏趺坐坐於蓮座上，姿態優美。蓮座上飾一道連珠紋，蓮瓣橢圓修長，富有層次。

來源：紐約私人收藏。
品相：狀況極佳，有輕微磨損，局部有輕微劃痕與微小的刻痕，少量小凹痕。 底座密封。損失一些鑲嵌物，一些鑲嵌可能曾後期更換過。顔料保存完好。觀音手中的淨瓶丟失。

重量：4,077 克
尺寸：高38.5 厘米

造像鎏金厚重，身體和底座沒有任何凹痕或彎曲區域清楚地證明了這一點。只有耳環與帔帛及一縷頭髮是用錘鍱而成。

此造像呈現出乾隆時期銅鎏金造像的許多特點，如鑄件與錘鍱工藝的結合，面部和身體的慵懶和略顯柔美的處理，以及寬瓣束腰雙層蓮座。康熙帝在位時期對佛教的推廣在他的孫子乾隆帝時期達到了鼎盛。北京、瑞荷、多隆諾等佛教中心為了滿足眾多寺廟的需求，製作了成千上萬的佛教造像。

拍賣結果比較：比較一件銅鑄並錘鍱菩薩造像，與此拍品為同一組，高37.1 厘米，同爲乾隆時期，見紐約佳士得 Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art 2016年9月16日 lot 1231, 售價USD 35,000。