A RARE GILT-BRONZE FIGURE OF AVALOKITESHVARA LIAO DYNASTY |

superbly cast in the form of Avalokiteshvara seated on a lotus pedestal atop a stepped lobed base, the right hand held in vitarka mudra and the left in avakasha mudra, the bodhisattva rendered clad in loose robes falling in voluminous folds, the expression rendered serene and flanked by a pair of pendulous earlobes, all below an elaborate headdress enclosing a high chignon with tresses falling on the shoulders

As visible in the catalogue photo, there is extensive malachite encrustation to the surface of the figure, however it is structurally in unusually good condition and retains extensive traces of its original gilding.
"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. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

A smaller figure of Avalokiteshvara in the Museum of East Asian Art, Bath, also dated to the Liao dynasty, is modelled with similar gesture and only differs from the present one in minor details of the ornaments and garments (accession no. BATEA: 277). For two related Liao dynasty gilt-bronze figures of Avalokiteshvara seated on a lotus pedestal, see one in the Palace Museum, Beijing, published in Classics of the Forbidden City: Guanyin in the Collection of The Palace Museum, Beijing, 2012, pl. 26; and another in the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, published in Hai-Wai Yi-Chen: Chinese Art in Overseas Collections, Buddhist Sculpture I, Taipei, 1998, pl. 146. Compare also another Liao dynasty gilt-bronze figure of Buddha Vairocana in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, illustrated in Denise Patry Leidy and Donna Strahan, Wisdom Embodied: Chinese Buddhist and Daoist Sculpture in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New Haven, 2010, cat. no. 26.