SADAKSHARILOKESHVARA
China (Tibeto-Chinese)
Ca. 15th C
Bronze
Height 40 cm
SOLD
Tibeto-Chinese bronze Avalokithesvara or Guanyin with dark green patina. Exceptionally well proportioned and graceful. Avalokiteshvara is seated in dhyanasana on a double lotus base with pendent banners, curled petal tips and beaded rims, his primary hands in anjali mudra with his remaining hands flanking his shoulders, one holding a mala and the other a lotus. He is elaborately garbed in swirling sashes and pleated dhoti wearing beaded belt, anklets, armlets, and garland with pendent festoons and disk-shaped earrings, his rounded face in a meditative expression with downcast eyes and bow shaped lips.
Avalokiteshvara (Sanskrit, lit. "Lord who looks down") is the bodhisattva who embodies the compassion of all Buddhas. He is the most widely revered bodhisattva in Buddhism. Avalokiteshvara is also referred to as Padmapani ("Holder of the Lotus") or Lokeshvara ("Lord of the World"). In East Asia, Avalokiteshvara is known as Guan Yin or Kannon/Kanzeon and is generally represented as female. In Tibetan, Avalokitesvara is known as Chenrezig, and he is said to be incarnated in the Dalai Lama.
Avalokiteshvara is an enlightened being who is a manifestation of all Buddhas' compassion. He is known the 'Buddha of Compassion'. He usually appears as white in color with four arms. His first two hands are pressed together at his heart, symbolizing his respect for his Spiritual Guide, Buddha Amitabha, who is on his crown. Even though Avalokiteshvara is an enlightened being he still shows respect to his Spiritual Guide. His first two hands hold a jewel, which symbolizes his own enlightenment. This mudra is indicating 'I attained jewel-like great enlightenment through receiving blessings from my Spiritual Guide Amitabha'.
His second left hand holds a white lotus flower. A lotus grows in the mud at the bottom of a lake, but its flowers bloom on the surface of the water, completely free from the stains of mud. By holding a lotus flower Avalokiteshvara is showing that because he attained enlightenment he is free from all obstacles, and has a completely pure body, speech and mind. His second right hand holds a crystal mala, symbolizing that he can free all living beings from samsara and lead them to liberation.
During the Yuan Dynasty in the 13th and 14th centuries, the authority of Mongol rulers had become closely associated with Tibetan Buddhist or Lamaist rituals. At the beginning of the 15th century, the Buddhist fervor of the Ming court stimulated a cross-cultural and artistic exchange between Tibet and China. Emperor Yongle (1403-25), a devout Buddhist himself, bestowed generous patronage to Buddhist monasteries and artistic ateliers, fostering the production of artworks depicting Tibetan Buddhist deities and imagery in a highly refined style, executed with the highest level of technical mastery. Gilt bronzes were commissioned from the Imperial workshops in Beijing for personal religious practices and as gifts for the many Tibetan emissaries invited to the court. The practice continued under his successor Xuande with gradual decline.
Generally standardized in three different sizes, this bronze belongs to the largest size group. While it does not bear the reign mark, it can be tentatively dated to the first half of the 15th century based on the close proximity in style to the Yongle/Xuande idiom.
Provenance: Aalderink Oriental Art, Amsterdam, 1980s
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