MAITREYA IN THE TUSHITA HEAVEN, AN EXTREMELY RARE GILT-BRONZE FIGURE, XUANDE INCISED SIX-CHARACTER MARK AND OF THE PERIOD, CHINA, 1425-1435Expert's note: Maitreya is visualized here in his manifestation as a princely bodhisattva, teaching in the Tushita heaven, thus with his hands held in dharmachakra mudra, the teaching pose (turning the wheel of the second law), after which Maitreya will leave the Tushita heaven and come upon earth to 'establish the lost truths in all their purity.' Maitreya's face is imbued with compassion, the essential quality of the bodhisattva, with a downward gaze and gentle smile. Maitreya is the only Boddhisattva who is popular among all sects of Buddhism, such as the Mahayana, the Hinayana, and the Vajrayana, and he is often shown with his long hair hanging over his shoulders, such as in the present portrayal.Superbly cast, the bodhisattva seated in vajraparyankasana on a double-lotus base with beaded edges, his hands held in dharmachakra mudra, wearing a dhoti with exquisitely carved folds gathered at the waist and fastened by a beaded girdle and a scarf around the bare shoulders flowing over the arms, revealing the chest adorned with beaded pendent jewelry. The upper surface of the base is engraved with a six-character mark da Ming Xuande nian shi and of the period.Provenance: Spink & Son, London, United Kingdom, c. 1966. Adrian Maynard, London, United Kingdom, acquired from the above and thence by descent within the family. A noted Hungarian collector, acquired from the above after 2015. Adrian Maynard joined Spink & Sons in 1947, where he was appointed Director from 1962 and eventually Deputy Chairman until his retirement in 1984. He was a man of enormous drive and undoubtedly the most flamboyant character to take charge of the Asian art department, which he took to the height of its success. Maynard believed firmly that "a dealer, whose fortune and good name depends on knowing what to buy, has a much greater responsibility to be right about the objects that come into his hands than, say, an academic, who never handles large sums of money." Condition: Good condition with expected old wear. Minimal casting flaws, few minuscule nicks, and remnants of old pigment and varnish. The base retains the original sealing.Weight: 1,520 g Dimensions: Height 18.2 cm Maitreya is richly adorned with further fine bodhisattva jewelry including a foliate crown framing the forehead and tied with billowing sashes at the ears, circular studded earrings, and beaded bracelets, armbands, anklets, and foot adornments. The serene face with a benevolent expression, the eyes with heavy sinuous lids below gently arched brows centered by a raised circular urna. The smiling mouth with full bow-shaped lips, the neatly incised hair drawn up in a knotted jatamakuta topped by a cintamani jewel and falling elegantly in tresses to the shoulders. The base is sealed with a plate, neatly incised with a visvavajra emblem.During the Yuan Dynasty in the 13th and 14th centuries, the authority of Mongol rulers had become closely associated with Tibetan Buddhist or Lamaist rituals. At the beginning of the 15th century, the Buddhist fervor of the Ming court encouraged a cultural exchange between Tibet and China through Imperial patronage. Bronze sculptures in the Tibeto-Chinese style were first produced during the reign of Emperor Yongle (1403-1424) and are highly distinguished for their unsurpassed craftsmanship, overall refinement, and gracefulness. Emperor Yongle (1403-1425), a devout Buddhist himself, bestowed generous patronage to Buddhist monasteries and artistic ateliers, fostering the production of artworks depicting Tibetan Buddhist deities and imagery in a highly refined style, executed with the highest level of technical mastery. Gilt bronzes were commissioned from the Imperial workshops in Beijing for personal religious practices and as gifts for the many Tibetan emissaries invited to the court.Fewer examples bear the reign mark of Xuande (1425-1435) and the present lot is closely related to its Yongle predecessors, both stylistically and technically. The present figure was made at the Imperial ateliers in Beijing, probably during the early phase of the Xuande period, by the same craftsmen who continued their work from the Yongle period.Literature comparison: Very few other figures of Maitreya from this group of reign-marked, early-15th-century gilt-bronzes have been published. Compare a related Yongle-marked gilt-bronze figure of Maitreya illustrated in Ulrich von Schroeder, Buddhist Sculptures in Tibet, Hong Kong, 2001, vol. II, pl. 343F. Compare a related Yongle-marked gilt-bronze figure of Maitreya illustrated in The Chang Foundation, Buddhist Images in Gilt Metal, Taipei, 1993, cat. 22. Compare a related Yongle-marked gilt-bronze figure of Maitreya illustrated in Ulrich von Schroeder, Indo-Tibetan Bronzes, Hong Kong 1981, 147E (later restored without a vase and now in the Aschmann collection). For a related Xuande-marked gilt-bronze figure of Vajrasattva, see The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum, Buddhist Statues of Tibet, p. 230, no. 219.Auction result comparison: Type: Related Auction: Christie's Hong Kong, 9 July 2020, lot 2702 Price: HKD 4,325,000 or approx. EUR 516,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing Description: A very rare and finely cast gilt-bronze figure of Maitreya, incised Yongle six-character presentation mark and of the period Expert remark: Compare the closely related subject, modeling, pose, expression, hair, robes, jewelry, and base, as well as the closely related manner of casting and gilding. Note the Yongle reign mark and the related size (20 cm).Auction result comparison: Type: Closely related Auction: Sotheby's Hong Kong, 7 October 2010, lot 2144 Price: HKD 6,020,000 or approx. EUR 989,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing Description: A fine and rare gilt-bronze seated Maitreya, mark and period of Yongle Expert remark: Compare the closely related subject, modeling, pose, expression, hair, robes, jewelry, and base, as well as the closely related manner of casting and gilding. Note the Yongle reign mark. 明代宣德六字款罕見銅鎏金兜率天彌勒坐像彌勒佛結跏趺坐於雙層蓮花座上，雙手結法輪印，底座上表面刻有“大明宣德年施"六字款。由于平台拍品叙述的长度限制，我们移除了中文叙述，完整中文叙述请至www.zacke.at查看
