A GILT-BRONZE FIGURE OF BUDDHA LIAO DYNASTY |

cast seated on a lotus base atop a cylindrical pedestal, depicted with hands held in dhyana mudra and clad in loose robes opening at the chest and tied with a ribbon at the front, the face rendered with a meditative expression and framed by a pair of pendulous earlobes and a domed ushnisha, wood stand, Japanese wood box

Good condition with just typical loss to gilding, and nicks to the base
"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 larger Liao dynasty gilt-bronze figure of Buddha Vairocana in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York is 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. It shares several distinct features with the current figure, including the plump face, somewhat austere expression and the characteristic patterned depiction of folds near the kow. For two related Liao dynasty gilt-bronze Buddhist figures, depicting the bodhisattva 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.