Antique Sino - Tibetan Bronze Figure Buddha Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara Guanyin
Antique 19th century Sino-Tibetan (Tibet or Nepal) seated figure of Avalokiteshvara, made of finely cast copper alloy.
The bodhisattva is shown seated in lalitasana on a lotus base, with his hands held in shuni mudra.
The bare chest and shoulders are adorned with coral jewelry beaded with natural coral stones, and the elaborate tiara and the flanking stems of blossoming lotus are embellished with natural turquoise stones.
The sculpture was cast with fine details in two separate elements, the base, and the figure, by lost wax casting method, then the statue was hand-finished, skillfully chased, engraved, and jeweled with natural turquoises and coral stones.
The base and the figure are connected at the front with a rivet and soldered In several places.CONDITION: It is in good condition, considering its age and use. Its surface has a dark patina and is worn on exposed areas.
MEASUREMENTS:
Height: 41 cm (16.1 inches).
Width: 23.5 cm (9.3 inches).
Weight: 4 kg (8.8 lb.)Avalokiteshvara; In Sanskrit, avalokita (looking on) ishivara (lord) .The bodhisattva of compassion who works tirelessly to help others to reach nirvana).
In Chinese, Guanyin, Guan Yin or Kuan Yin.
The sculpture, which is cast from a copper alloy, shows different colors of alloy in many worn areas, including reddish copper and some with lighter and darker yellowish shades of bronze, meaning that the copper alloy used for the casting was made by the old method in which various pieces of old copper alloy scrap with different zinc and copper components were melted to cast the figure, and did not mix well.This old technique was abandoned at the beginning of the 20th century when the modern industrial casting method began to be used in Tibet and Nepal to obtain a pure copper alloy.