AN INSCRIBED MINIATURE GILT-BRONZE FIGURE OF SHAKYAMUNI BUDDHA MING DYNASTY, HONGWU PERIOD, DATED 1396 |

depicted seated in vajraparyankasana on a lotus base raised on a hexagonal plinth, the right hand held in bhumisparshamudra and the left in dhyanamudra, wearing a pleated robe falling in loose folds over his legs, with the undergarment gathered just below the opened chest, the serene face with downcast eyes and a meditative expression flanked by long pendulous ears, the hair punched with tight curls centred by an ushnisha with an ovoid jewel atop, incised on the reverse and around the pedestal with a long inscription dated Hongwu bings zi year (in accordance with 1396)

Robert Bigler, New York, March 2013.

Robert Bigler, Art and Faith at the Crossroads, Zurich, 2013, cat. no. 26.

As visible in the catalogue photo, there is rubbings to the gilding and general surface wear, but overall the figure is unusually well preserved, with the inscription particularly clear.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any stat.mes nt made by Replica Shoes 's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

This small and finely cast gilt-bronze figure is one of the finest quality and best preserved of a group of small figures of Shakyamuni which can be securely dated to 1396. They relate to a larger standing gilt-bronze of Amitabha in the British Museum, dated 1396, that demonstrates the stylistic transition between the Yuan dynasty and later Ming bronzes. See Wladimir Zwalf, ed., Buddhism: Art and Faith, London, 1985, p. 208, cat. no. 300. For other examples from the same group as the current figure, see one illustrated in Gems of Beijing Cultural Relics Series: Buddhist Statues I, Beijing, 2001-2004, p. 73, pl. 34, and another sold at Christie's New York, 18th/19th September 2014, lot 1023. As translated in Robert Bigler, Art and Faith at the Crossroads, Zurich, 2013, p. 72, the inscription reads that the present figure was "commissioned by Zhou Fu to repay the Four Kindnesses (of mother, father, Tathagata and the teaching of the Doctrine)". He instructed the craft.mes n to cast a total of 5048 gold images of Shakyamuni Buddha for the further spreading of the Law on an auspicious day of the 4th month of the bings zi year of Hongwu (1396).