A RARE LARGE GILT COPPER ALLOY FIGURE OF AVALOKITESHVARA MARK AND PERIOD OF ZHENGTONG, DATED 1447

finely cast in the form of the Bodhisattva seated in lalitasana on a double-lotus base with beaded edges, the right hand held in varada mudra and the left raised in vitarka mudra, both grasping an utpala lotus stalk meandering upwards along the arms to the shoulders, dressed in a dhoti and a loose shawl over the shoulders, adorned with sumptuous ornamental jewellery including earrings, beaded necklaces, bracelets, armbands and anklets, the serene expression accentuated with a subtle benign smile, crowned with a tiara afront a neatly tied knot, the pendent right foot resting on an individual lotus issuing from the double-lotus pedestal inscribed 'Zhengtong Dingmao Nian' (corresponding to 1447), the foot of the pedestal incised with a three-character inscription reading yang ruo ming (probably the name of the patron)

Collection of Joseph Morak (1889-1969), Prague, and thence by descent.

Although the base plate is no longer with the figure, it has been preserved in good overall condition, with just expected oxidisation to the metal and minor surface wear, insignificant bruises, scratches and rubbing to the gilding at the fragile peripheral areas. There are traces of pigmentation to the crown
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This majestic sculpture portrays the bodhisattva Akalokiteshvara seated in lalitasana, the attitude of ease and serenity indicated by the right foot extending over the pedestal to rest on a lotus bud emerging below. The popular bodhisattva has a multitude of iconographic forms and numerous epithets; The Compassionate One, Lord of the World, Lotus Bearer. He is the embodiment of absolute compassion for all sentient beings, with infinite devotion to the alleviation of suffering. The altruistic nature of the bodhisattva is expressed in the subtle hand gestures, the mudras signifying the bestowal of charity, reassurance and fearlessness.

The statue represents a clear development of the sculptural and iconographic traditions associated with the renowned gilt bronzes of the Yongle and Xuande periods, and serves as a benchmark for stylistic evaluation of mid-fifteenth century Buddhist works. Indeed the bronze offers invaluable insight into the progression of style within the Zhengtong period itself when compared with an Avalokiteshvara of smaller size but identical iconography in the Palace Museum Collection, Beijing, dated six years earlier in the reign, 1441, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum. Statues of Tibet, Hong Kong, 2008, p. 232, pl. 221 (fig. 1). 

This iconographic form of the bodhisattva, Avalokiteshvara Khasarpana, was popular in eastern India during the Pala period with numerous extant examples in stone and bronze, see Ulrich von Schroeder, Buddhist Sculptures in Tibet, Hong Kong, 2001, vol. 1, p. 239, pl. 72C. It was not a popular form of the bodhisattva in Tibet, but became prevalent again during the Yongle and Xuande periods when there was renewed emphasis placed on the foreign and indigenous heritage of Buddhist iconography; see the Xuande example of the iconography in the Speelman Collection, Sotheby's Hong Kong, 7th October 2006, lot 813, that highlights the consistencies of iconography and style in early to mid-fifteenth century Buddhist sculpture.