A rare gilt-bronze figure of Guanyin17th/18th century
Expertly cast seated in dhyanasana atop a double-lotus pedestal, the left hand raised in abhaya mudra, the right is held in dhyana mudra, clad a long flowing robe with finely incised floral hems, the open chest draped in an elaborate necklace, the face with a benevolent expression with downcast eyes beneath high arched brows and above a bud mouth, flanked by long pendulous ears and surmounted by a finely pierced crown. 33cm (13in) high.注脚十七/十八世紀 銅鎏金觀音坐像

Himalayan Art Resources item no.16773
喜馬拉雅藝術資源網16773號

Provenance:
Henry Harrison Getty (1838-1919), by repute
Alice Getty (d.1946), by repute
Courtenay Morgan, Viscount Tredegar (1867-1934), by repute
Evan Morgan, 2nd Viscount Tredegar (1893-1949), by repute
Professor and Mrs Bellerby, by repute
Mark Dineley (1901-1975)
Peter Dineley (1938-2018), and thence by descent

Noted in the handwritten family 'A Catalogue of the Dineley Collection of Tibetiana and Associated Buddhistic Objects', early 1960s, p.133.

來源：
傳亨利·哈里遜·蓋蒂舊藏（1838-1919年）
傳愛麗絲·蓋蒂舊藏（卒於1946年）
傳卓德嘉子爵考特尼·摩根舊藏（1867-1934年）
傳特里迪格子爵二世艾文·摩根舊藏（1893-1949年）
傳貝勒比教授及夫人舊藏
馬克·戴尼利舊藏（1901-1975年）
彼得·戴尼利舊藏（1938-2018年），並由家族繼承

記載於戴尼利家族手稿《戴尼利家族的西藏州和相關的佛教物品收藏目錄》'A Catalogue of the Dineley Collection of Tibetiana and Associated Buddhistic Objects'，1960年代初，頁133。

The present figure is remarkable for the refined level of detailing, noted in the meticulous scroll work decorating the pedestal and the hem of the dhoti, capturing a sense of majesty associated with the Goddess of Mercy.

According to the 'Lotus Sutra', the deity could take the form of any type of God, Buddha, King and Heavenly Guardian, and could appear in both male and female form, showing the bodhisattva's limitless transcendence beyond gender, in order to teach the Dharma (teachings of the Buddha) to sentient beings. During the Ming dynasty, it was common belief that, in accordance with descriptions in the 'Avalokiteshvara' chapter of the Lotus Sutra and 'The 25 Great Ones' chapter of the 'Surangama Sutra', Guanyin could transform at will and appear in more than thirty human forms to expound Buddhist teaching. The compassion of the bodhisattva is expressed in the subtle gestures of this elegant figure, the mudras signifying the bestowal of charity and reassurance.

A related example of a gilt copper-alloy Guanyin, 17th century, is illustrated in Buddhist Statues of Tibet: The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum, Hong Kong, 2003, p.98, no.42. Compare with a related but smaller parcel-gilt bronze figure of Guanyin, 18th century, which was sold at Bonhams London, 15 May 2014, lot 327.

觀音頭戴法冠，方面厚臉，開臉祥和，眉目微闔，挺鼻厚唇，面露微笑，耳戴法輪墜，髮披兩肩，胸戴瓔珞，內著連胸群，繫束胸帶，外罩寬袍大袖，鏨刻花葉緄邊，雙手托法器（已佚），腳著寶履，全跏趺坐於仰覆蓮坐，座上下起連珠紋，通體鎏金。

此件觀音像寶相莊嚴，鑄造精美，細節立體，工藝超群。觀音形象最早由鳩摩羅什法師翻譯的《妙法蓮華經》傳入中國，其中第二十五品〈觀世音菩薩普門品〉因為傳頌最廣，甚至以《觀音菩薩經》為名單行成冊。經文記載觀世音菩薩有三十三種不同的化身，其中有男也有女，也有既非男也非女。佛祖講經，「爾時無盡意菩薩，即從座起，偏袒右肩，合掌向佛，而作是言：世尊！觀世音菩薩，以何因緣，名觀世音？」即是如果沒有無盡意菩薩請法，也就沒有觀世音菩薩名字的由來。〈普門品〉中的「七難」代表七種災難，而觀世音菩薩便是為了普渡七難而存在。

相關的例子可比較一件十七世紀銅鎏金觀音像，見《故宮博物院藏文物珍品全集藏傳佛教造像》，香港，2003年，頁98，編號42。另見一尊尺寸較小的十八世紀銅鎏金觀音像，倫敦邦瀚斯，2014年5月15日，拍品編號327。