Lot 205
  • 205

A Parcel Gilt Copper Alloy Figure of Avalokiteshvara Padmapani

Estimate
80,000 - 120,000 USD
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Description

  • Avalokiteshvara, likely Padmapani
  • Gilt copper with semiprecious stone inlay
  • Height 13 3/4 in. (34.9 cm)

Provenance

The Carter Burden Collection
Sotheby’s New York: March 27, 1991, lot 101

Condition

Good and stable overall condition. Missing flower element at left, evidenced by arm lug and shoulder join. Inlaid stones at wrists, girdle, armbands, ratnapavita, necklace and crown elements. Missing overall, as visible in catalogue illustration. Two original stones extant in crown. Traces of polychromy overall, with gilded face and neck. Minor encrustation overall. Small 2 cm crack at back of right knee, cracking along figure’s back from shoulder to shoulder. Dent and encrustation on reverse at and below sash at figures waist and upper legs. Minor pitting to figures front right knee.
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.

Catalogue Note

The Malla period marked a significant era in the development of Nepalese art. One of the most popular deities in Malla art and in Nepal was Avalokiteshvara, the bodhisattva of compassion as Padmapani, the lotus bearer. His body is elegantly posed in tribhanga, the triple flexed position; his right hand extended in the boon granting varada mudra and his left grasping the stem of a lotus blooming at the shoulder, now missing. His hair is neatly wound in an elaborate jatamukata crowned by Amitabha, a kirtimukha in the front, and flared ribbons bellowing from behind the ears. The back of the head details the strands of hair, tucked under the elaborate double headdress. The Amitabha and lotus are two of the identifying features related to the Avalokiteshvara Padmapani.

The face is elegant with a serene expression. The curved lines of the eyebrows, the half-closed eyes with partially visible pupils centered by an urna and the small mouth lend a youthful aura to the figure. The three schematic lines on the neck symbolically imply the status of an enlightened being, used extensively in Buddhist art. The face and the Amitabha on top are gilded.

The elegant proportions of the body are accentuated with marked pectoral muscles, slender waist and a modeled torso. The creases near the bend of the elbow add a tactile fleshiness to the smooth copper. The bodhisattva is wearing a sheer dhoti with pleated folds falling between the legs, secured at the waist with a sash draped across the thighs and hanging at his side. It has etched patterns of a dotted circle and a lotus pattern flower. The ornaments are decorated with precious stones and glass inlay, also missing. He is wearing a long ratnopavita, necklaces, armbands, and bracelets with inlay details. The hand in varadamudra is engraved with a delicate diamond pattern on the palm. This indicated the four major hand lines: life, fate, head and heart.