TIBETO-CHINESE, 18TH CENTURY

This statue of Avalokitshvara is the epitome of Buddhist syncretism in the Qing Dynasty. Known as Guanyin in Mandarin, the iconography of the present sculpture is clearly depicted in a Chinese idiom, in her female form, but the lotus base and the casting and stylization draws inspiration from the Tibetan workshops active in Beijing during the Qing imperial reign. In this present work, Guanyin is portrayed as a young woman wearing a flowing white robe, and she wears ornaments symbolic of Indian and Chinese royalty. She wears a crown depicting the Five Dhyani Buddhas, which are Vairochana, Akshobhya, Ratnasambhava, Amitabha, and Amoghasiddhi. In Chinese Mahayana and Tibetan tantric sources, the Five Buddhas are arranged in a circular mandala they are known as the Direction Buddhas. The Five Buddha Crown is worn during initiation, empowerment and rituals, In Chinese Buddhism, it also signifies that Avalokiteshvara embodies the compassion of all the Buddhas.
The bodhisattva represented in the present work holds in her left hand on her lap in the gesture of equanimity. In her left hand, she would’ve held a vessel symbolically filled with blessed water. This reflects the practice in Buddhist ceremonies where water is ritually blessed by deities and believed to cleanse negative karma and heal the sick. Her right hand is held in a raised position in the karana mudra , symbolizing the removal of obstacles and fears. In the present form, her right hand would’ve held a willow stalk, thought to hold apotropaic properties and is used to sprinkle the blessed water over devotees. The missing attributes of the present work do not detract from the beauty and symbolic power of the deity, but rather emphasizes the form and the symbolic gestures of the hand, which is often overlooked. As the present figure’s attributes are evocative of this practice, this iconographic form was particularly popular among devotees wishing for good health. The bodhisattva in the present form is of central significance to the Chinese worship of Avalokiteshvara, and played a role in the propagation of Avalokiteshvara devotion in Chinese Mahayana. The present form of the Bodhisattva was popularized in the Ming Dynasty, with large production in Imperial and local workshops. Qing Imperial productions of Guanyin in this form are much rarer, and the present work draws inspiration from Ming sculpture. Compare the overall iconography, hand gestures and the Buddha crown of the present work with a Ming dynasty figure of Avalokiteshvara sold at Christie’s London on 15 May 2018, lot 166 for 272,750 GBP. The base of the sculpture is distinctly Qing despite inspiration from Ming sculptures. Compare the lotus base of the present work with a Qing sculpture of a seated Lama sold at Christie’s New York on 13 February 2018, lot 107.