HK$45m Wood Figures of Standing Bodhisattvas Lead Christie’s Buddhist
On
14/06/2023Reading time:
12 min
Summary:
On the last day of Christie’s spring sales in Hong Kong, the auction house kicked off the day with Glories of Buddhist Art which offered 15 lots of Buddhist Art. The sale realised a total of HK$119.5m (US$15m).
Leading the sale was a pair of wood figures of standing Bodhisattvas that sold for HK$45.2m after premium.
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HK$45m Wood Figures of Standing Bodhisattvas
They have illustrious provenance and were published by the esteemed Asian Art dealer Yamanaka Sadajirō in 1924. They later came into an American private collection and the private hands of its current owner who acquired them in a Hong Kong auction in 1996. The figures carried an estimate of HK$40m-60m (US$5.1m-7.7m), the highest of the sale.
The figures depict Guanyin and Mahasthamaprapta. The name, Guanyin, means ‘the one who perceives the sounds of the world’. It refers to the compassionate bodhisattva’s ability to hear the cries of all mankind, and to strive endlessly to help those who offer prayers. Mahāsthāmaprāpta is a bodhisattva mahāsattva that represents the power of wisdom, often depicted in a trinity with Amitābha and Guanyin, especially in Pure Land Buddhism
The figures depict Guanyin and Mahasthamaprapta. The name, Guanyin, means ‘the one who perceives the sounds of the world’. It refers to the compassionate bodhisattva’s ability to hear the cries of all mankind, and to strive endlessly to help those who offer prayers. Mahāsthāmaprāpta is a bodhisattva mahāsattva that represents the power of wisdom, often depicted in a trinity with Amitābha and Guanyin, especially in Pure Land Buddhism.
The auctioneer started the bidding at HK$30m and put the hammer down at HK$38m, below its estimate. The figures were sold for HK$45.2m after premium to the client of Charlotte Liu, Global Managing Director, Asian and World Art at Christie's.
