A large porcelain figure of a Bodhisattva, Qing dynasty with Yongzheng mark.
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Standing a top a lotus lappet base, crowned, holding a cup in her right hand, the left hand pointing downwards. The face and body applied with gilt enamel, the deity with serene facial expression and the hair enamelled blue and partially falling over the shoulders, the rest swept into a high topknot and secured by an ornamental jewel worn behind the five-leaf crown, further adorned with jewelled necklaces, armbands and bracelets. The pedestal decorated in shades of pink with two tiers of overlapping lotus petals below against a turquoise ground, the hollow countersunk base pierced with a hole in the centre. Height with stand and brocade clad stand in total 66,5 cm.
Damages, repair.
Provenance
Property of a private Swedish Estate. From the private collection of Mrs Tåwe Jameson. Tåwe was a passionate collector who grew up in a home with parents who travelled Europe to buy art and antiques. Her interest was so great that she in soon decided to open an antique shop where she lived in Borås. Thence by descent.
Exhibitions
There are known altar sets of buddhist emblems that also are decorated in these bright enamels. See for example a set sold at Sothebys, lot no 241, 244, 245, Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art, Hong Kong, 1990.
There are also several known seated porcelain figures in the palace museum of Beijing.
There are also several examples of seated figures of Buddha of this type in the Musee Guimee, Collection Ernest Grandidier.
Compare a gilt-lacquer figure of Bodhisattva of this type, dated as Qing dynasty, Kangxi, sold at Sothebys, Important Chinese Art. 23 September 2020. New York. Lot no 618.
More information
The adoration of brightly colored deities has a very long tradition in Tibetan Buddhism and the wide color range available in the famille-rose palette made porcelain an ideal medium to create such Buddhist figures. However, the making of such figures required the highest level of workmanship due to the complicated modelling and repeated firings necessary to achieve the perfect result. Hence the number of figures produced remained small and were mainly for the temples of the imperial palace precincts. The present figure was likely one of a set commissioned for an imperial birthday or celebration.
