Tibet, 18th and 19th century|Finely cast with one serene head of the Buddha above a ferocious incarnation, above three further rows of three heads each with a gently smiling serene expression, the figure with eight main arms holding various attributes, the front pair clasped in prayer in front of the jewelled chest, the body standing on a separate lotus base and framed by a repoussé flaming mandorla with concentric circles of open hands, mounted on a separate pedestal. With mandorla 85cm (33 1/2in) high. (4).|西藏 十八及十九世紀 銅鎏金十一面千手觀音菩薩背光像Provenance: Christie's Amsterdam, 11 October 1994, lot 291.來源： 1994年10月11日於阿姆斯特丹佳士得拍賣，拍品291號Avalokiteshvara embodies the compassion of all Buddhas, who vowed never to rest until all beings were freed from their cycle of re-incarnation and suffering. The present lot represents a particular aspect of this compassion, when the head of the bodhisattava splits into eleven pieces in the desperate struggle to comprehend the needs of so many people. The Amitabha Buddha, seeing Avalokiteshvara's plight, gave the bodhisattva eleven heads with which to hear the cries of the suffering. Upon hearing these cries and comprehending them, Avalokiteshvara attempted to reach out to all those who needed aid, but found that his two arms shattered into pieces. Once more, the Amitabha Buddha comes to her aid and invests her with a thousand arms with which to aid the suffering multitudes. The depth of compassion in the representation of the eleven-headed Avalokiteshvara made it a popular subject for sculpture, but it is rare to find a figure of such size as the present lot. Another example of large size gilt-bronze figure of Avalokiteshvara but without the rows of small hands encircling the figure, 17th century, is illustrated by U.von Schroeder, Indo-Tibetan Bronzes, Hong Kong, 1981, p.453, no.124D.