A GILT-BRONZE FIGURE OF AVALOKITESHVARA SUI DYNASTY |

standing on a lotus base, the Goddess of Mercy positioned in contrapposto with the left leg stepping forward slightly and the right hip tilted upward, the right arm raised at the elbow and holding a pearl in the fingers, the left arm hanging by the side with the hand grasping a long sash, the body draped in robes and sashes clinging to the sinuous body, necklaces adorning the chest and a tall diadem crowning the head, the flame-shaped mandorla attached by a pin framing the torso, all raised on an earlier Northern Wei dynasty four-legged stand incised with a dedicatory inscription dated to the first year of Taicheng, corresponding to 532 A.D., Japanese wood box (3)

Eskenazi, Ltd., London, circa 1982.

Normal wear and minor casting imperfections commensurate with type, including: minor losses to the mandorla and the figure (e.g., a small section at the proper left knee, and a crack to the edge of the mandorla), a crack and small associated loss to the base, and wear to the gilding and uneven patina (as illustrated). The mandorla loose and sections of patina at the front of the mandorla have been stabilized.
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.

The S-curved posture, detached mandorla, elaborate ornamentation, and ribbony garments that cling to the body express the new visual vocabulary for Buddhist statuary that developed in the Sui dynasty (581-618). Both Emperor Wen (r. 581-604) and Emperor Yang (r. 604-618) used Buddhism as a means of unifying the empire and they avidly patronized the construction of Buddhist temples, pagodas, grottoes, and sculptures. Emperor Wen was particularly devout due to his upbringing in a monastery. He is alleged to have commissioned 4,000 temples and over 100,000 new images in gilt-bronze, ivory, wood, and stone, and restored over 1.5 million damaged figures. Two gilt-bronze figures of Avalokiteshvara dated by inscription to his reign bear a strong resemblance to the present example. The most strikingly similar one is inscribed to the base with a date corresponding to 586 A.D. and is published in Jintong fo xiang [Gilt-Bronze Buddhist Figures], Beijing, 1998, pl. 7. The second, in the collection of the British Museum, depicts the bodhisattva holding a jewel in one hand and a bottle in the other and is dated by inscription to 595 A.D. and published in Hugo Munsterberg, Chinese Buddhist Bronzes, Rutland, VT and Tokyo, 1967, pl. 59. The stand of the present figure is inscribed with a dedication and date, corresponding to the 18th day of the 2nd month of the first year of Taichang, corresponding to 532 A.D. Taichang (Great Prosperity) is the first reign name of the Northern Wei Emperor Xiaowu's rule (r. 532-535). The Taichang period started on 12th April 532 and lasted only a few months before the reign was renamed as Yongxing (Eternal Flourishing), a title which lasted through the end of Xiaowu's reign.