A RARE GILT-BRONZE FIGURE OF SHAKYAMUNI BUDDHA MING DYNASTY, YONGLE PERIOD, DATED TO 1417

well cast with hands in bhumisparsa mudra, wearing a loose-fitting sanghati, leaving the right shoulder bare, the face with crisp features and an urna on the forehead, flanked by long ears with pendant pierced lobes, hair in tight curls covering the domed ushnisha above, seated in dhyanasana on a waisted lotus pedestal, the unsealed interior with a long inscription, dated to the dingyou year of the Yongle reign, corresponding to 1417

Sotheby's Hong Kong, 17th May 1989, lot 450.

There are some minor dents, especially to the back. The overall condition is quite good with only some expected rubbing to the gilding. The base plate has been removed.
"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."

The inscription reads:
The faithful Buddhist and trusted official of the Great Ming Empire, Grand Eunuch Li Xing, whose religious name is Jixiang (styled) Chengjiu, and who is a native of Taihe county, Dali prefecture in Yunnan, born at an auspicious date in the year wushen (corresponding to 1368), resolved on the 26th day of the fifth month of the dingyou year of the Yongle period (corresponding to 1417) to cast altogether five images representing the three Buddhas of the Past, the Present, and the Future, as well as (the Bodhisattvas) Manjusri and Samantabhadra.

Li Xing, Grand Eunuch at the courts of Yongle and Xuande, accompanied the famous Admiral and Grand Eunuch Zheng He (1371-1433), Li's contemporary and also a native of Yunnan province, on his several expeditions to Southeast Asia, the Middle East and Africa. Li is recorded as participating in the third expedition (1409-11) to the Malabar coast of India, Ceylon, Sian, Malacca and Sumatra, in the sixth expedition (1421-22) to Aden and the Eastern coast of Africa, and in the seventh expedition (1431-33) to the Arab peninsula and East Africa, and may also have accompanied Zheng's other voyages.

This figure of Shakyamuni Buddha, the Buddha of the Present, was probably made to celebrate Li's ordination as a lay brother, where he was given his religious name, on or around his fiftieth birthday. Zheng He, although coming from a Muslim family, was also ordinated as a Buddhist lay brother.

For a closely related example see a figure sold at Christie's Hong Kong, 29th may 2007, lot 1436; and another offered at Christie's London, 15th May 2007, lot 173; and a third, Christie's New York, 22nd April 1999, lot 86.