Monumental Seated Bodhisattva Figure (Guanyin Avalokiteshvara, Royal Ease Pose) — Chinese Sino-Tibetan School (Assessment)

This is a shrine-scale presence, the kind of object that does not read as “decor” so much as it occupies a room. Seated in royal ease (lalitasana), the bodhisattva rests with one leg drawn up and one lowered — a posture that carries a specific visual logic in Buddhist sculpture: compassion that is calm, but not withdrawn; repose that remains ready to respond.

The figure’s identity is communicated through bodhisattva codes rather than a single held attribute. The crown, the disciplined ornament of the chest strands, and the softened authority of the face distinguish this from a fully awakened Buddha image. Instead, it belongs to the bodhisattva realm — beings who remain close to the world — and for market-clarity the best fit is Guanyin / Avalokiteshvara, the great compassion archetype in Chinese and wider Mahayana devotional culture.

What makes the piece compelling for collectors is not perfection, but biography. Across the surface, the former brilliance of gilding has retreated into scattered warm remnants; in its place the darkened patina has developed a shrine-logic of its own, with abrasion concentrated where touch naturally returns — the edges of garment folds, the planes of the knees, the round of the cheek. This is the difference between a freshly “antiqued” surface and a truly lived one: it contains unevenness that feels earned.

The reverse shows a reign-style mark that visually resembles a Qianlong formula. In the broader market, such marks are commonly used later as statements of lineage, aspiration, or workshop convention rather than literal dating instruments; consequently, the most defensible positioning is Chinese / Sino-Tibetan school, late 19th–20th century, with the mark treated as an informative detail rather than a guarantee.

In the contemporary interior, the sculpture can function in two legitimate modes: as a devotional anchor in a private practice space, or as a collector’s object-of-presence on a low cabinet or plinth. In either case, its authority comes from scale, clarity of silhouette, and the quiet complexity of a surface that has known time.

Object size (provided): ~60 × 38 × 28 cm
Object weight (provided): ~14 kg

Object Type:
Large devotional figure — seated Bodhisattva (Guanyin / Avalokiteshvara) in royal ease posture (lalitasana).

Material / Technique (best-fit from surface evidence):

• Cast metal (bronze or brass alloy)

• Evidence of former gilding / gilt-lacquer highlights now largely worn away

• Cold-worked finishing (chasing) in robe folds, jewelry, and hair/crown edges

• Surface shows long “temple/shrine life” character: soot-dark patina + broad handling wear

Iconography:

• Crowned bodhisattva with ornamentation (necklace strands / chest adornments)

• Lalitasana: one leg raised, one lowered; torso upright but relaxed

• One hand open/relaxed in a giving/benediction-like gesture; the other drawn inward (contemplative composure)

• This supports “Bodhisattva (Guanyin/Avalokiteshvara-type)” strongly. Exact identity cannot be proven from these images alone because no clear attribute (lotus, flask, small Buddha in crown, etc.) is visible.

Origin:

1. Chinese, late Qing → Republican / early 20th century (most consistent overall)

Mark / Inscription:
Back shows a multi-character reign-style mark resembling a “Qianlong” formula. Photo-only: treat as a stylistic / workshop market cue (often apocryphal), not proof of 18th-century date.

Period Estimate (conservative):
Late 19th to early/mid 20th century (with explicit note: earlier Qing is possible but not claimable without underside/joins/casting evidence and clearer mark documentation).

Condition: vintage / antique-category object; review photos for enamel hairlines, edge rubs, and gilt wear. Handle enamel gently and avoid impact or rapid temperature shifts.

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