A RARE GILT-BRONZE FIGURE OF BHAISAJYARAJA AVALOKITESVARA DALI KINGDOM, 12TH CENTURY

cast seated in dhyanasana, supporting a lobed-bowl in the left hand and holding a sprig of willow leaves in the right, the straight slender body adorned with fluttering scarves and beaded chains suspending pendants, the exposed chest centered with an elaborate necklace, the face with pensive expression framed by loop earrings, ribbons and beaded chains suspended from the eight-pointed crown decorated with jewels and foliate scrolls, the hair pulled into three loops with loose tresses falling over the shoulders, wood stand (2)

There is a 3/4 in. (2 cm ) long hole in the foot, and a small drill hole in the back of the head. There are minor nicks, scratches and overall surface wear to the gilt consistent with age. In the recesses mostly on the crown there is a red residue, possibly remnants of lacquer. The piece is in good overall condition. The later custom wood stand that served as the base, when the figure was mounted as a lamp has chips and minor losses.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

According to the Lotus Sutra, Avalokitesvara can take any form necessary to save sentient beings. Thirty-three manifestations of Avalokitesvara are mentioned and are known to have been very popular in Chinese Buddhism as early as the Sui and Tang Dynasties. The present lot depicts the bodhisattva in the manifestation known as Bhaisajyaraja Avalokitesvara, called the Willowleaf Guanyin in Chinese. In this form the bodhisattva holds a vial or bowl of elixir in the left hand and a stalk of willow leaves in the right. The willow has evil dispelling properties and is used to sprinkle the elixir over devotees. The elixir is believed to cure all physical and spiritual illnesses, and this iconographic form was popular among devotees wishing for good health.

This rare figure belongs to a group of distinctive gilt-bronze figures produced in Yunnan in southwestern China during the rule of the Dali Kingdom from the 10th-13th centuries that display a unique blend of Chinese and South-east Asian influences. Images in this group have similar characteristic facial features with half-open eyes, broad noses and prominent lips and wear elaborate, bejeweled costumes and distinctive tall crowns. A similar figure was included in the exhibition The Crucible of Compassion and Wisdom: the Nitta Group Collection, National Palace Museum, Taipei, 1987, cat. no. 92, where it is dated as Five dynasties. The same piece was also included in A Special Exhibition of Recently Acquired  Gilt-Bronze Buddhist Images, National Palace Museum, Taipei, 1996, cat. no. 17, where it was reattributed to the 12th century Dali Kingdom. Like the present lot, this figure is adorned with elaborate necklaces and beaded chains suspending pendants, and strikes a similar pose. Another figure with similar facial features and garments also from the Dali Kingdom and dated to the 12th century, but with a different pose was included ibid., cat. no. 16. These facial features can again be seen in another figure of Guanyin, this time in the bodhisattva's multi-armed aspect, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, included in the exhibition Wisdom Embodied: Chinese Buddhist and Daoist Sculpture, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 2010, cat. no. 33.  The cloud and ruyi design in the crown of this figure is similar to the design in the crown of the present lot.