.jpg?w=1)
Lot Essay
The present work is carved entirely from zitan, a hardwood from India that was exported to China in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties. While zitan is a general term which includes numerous species of wood, it is commonly agreed that it belongs to the genus Pterocarpus. A purplish-black, fine-grained hardwood, zitan was considered the most prized hardwood by the Chinese. The density of the wood makes this material especially suitable for fine and intricate carving. Due to its slow-growing nature, zitan often was only available in small quantities, and by the Qianlong period (1736-1795), its use was controlled by the emperor himself.
Much of the zitan that came to China was used for furniture, as the hard grain of the wood made it resistant to splitting and swelling in changes of climate. Smaller quantities were used for boxes and other scholars’ accoutrement. Fewer works of sculpture in zitan are known, although the precious nature of the wood meant it would have been an appropriate material for an object of worship. Compare with an 18th century zitan figure of the arhat Panthaka, sold at Christie’s New York, 22 March 2011, lot 338, as well as an 18th century zitan figure of a bodhisattva, sold at Christie’s New York, 23 March 2010, lot 251.
The iconography of Manjushri seated on a lion has its origins in India, with examples known from at least the Pala period, including a silver-inlaid bronze figure in the John D. Rockefeller III Collection, currently at Asia Society in New York, and illustrated by D. Leidy, Treasures of Asian Art, New York, 1994, p. 37, no. 17. The Simhanada form also gained popularity in East Asia from an early date. The style of the present work, with Manjushri seated in lalitasana on lion over a low single-lotus base, can be associated with other Chinese and Tibetan works from the same period; compare, for example, with a 17th-century gilt-bronze figure of Simhanada Manjushri, sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 1 November 2004, lot 1017.
Much of the zitan that came to China was used for furniture, as the hard grain of the wood made it resistant to splitting and swelling in changes of climate. Smaller quantities were used for boxes and other scholars’ accoutrement. Fewer works of sculpture in zitan are known, although the precious nature of the wood meant it would have been an appropriate material for an object of worship. Compare with an 18th century zitan figure of the arhat Panthaka, sold at Christie’s New York, 22 March 2011, lot 338, as well as an 18th century zitan figure of a bodhisattva, sold at Christie’s New York, 23 March 2010, lot 251.
The iconography of Manjushri seated on a lion has its origins in India, with examples known from at least the Pala period, including a silver-inlaid bronze figure in the John D. Rockefeller III Collection, currently at Asia Society in New York, and illustrated by D. Leidy, Treasures of Asian Art, New York, 1994, p. 37, no. 17. The Simhanada form also gained popularity in East Asia from an early date. The style of the present work, with Manjushri seated in lalitasana on lion over a low single-lotus base, can be associated with other Chinese and Tibetan works from the same period; compare, for example, with a 17th-century gilt-bronze figure of Simhanada Manjushri, sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 1 November 2004, lot 1017.