Monumental Seated Guanyin Bodhisattva in Royal Ease, Gilt-Traced Cast Metal, Sino-Tibetan School, 60 cm

A shrine-scale bodhisattva seated in royal ease, one leg drawn up and one lowered: compassion that is calm but not withdrawn, repose ready to respond. Former gilding has retreated into warm remnants across a darkened patina, and that surface of lived time gives this Guanyin its authority.

The Piece

The figure's identity is carried by 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 it from a fully awakened Buddha image and place it in the bodhisattva realm, among beings who remain close to the world. The best fit is Guanyin / Avalokiteshvara, the great archetype of compassion in Chinese and wider Mahayana devotional culture.

Seated in lalitasana, the torso upright but relaxed, the bodhisattva extends one open hand in a giving or benediction-like gesture while the other is drawn inward in contemplative composure. Cold-worked chasing defines the robe folds, jewelry and the edges of hair and crown.

What makes the piece compelling is not perfection but biography. The darkened, soot-toned 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, an unevenness that feels earned.

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

Details

• Subject: Seated bodhisattva, Guanyin / Avalokiteshvara type, in royal ease (lalitasana)
• Era: Late 19th to early/mid 20th century (late Qing to Republican period)
• Origin: China; Chinese / Sino-Tibetan school
• Material: Cast metal (bronze or brass alloy) with evidence of former gilding or gilt-lacquer highlights; cold-worked chasing
• Measurements: Approx. 60 × 38 × 28 cm
• Weight: Approx. 14 kg
• Mark: Multi-character reign-style mark on the back resembling a Qianlong formula
• Iconography: Crowned bodhisattva with necklace strands and chest adornments; one hand open, the other drawn inward

Condition

• Antique-category object with long shrine-life character: soot-dark patina and broad handling wear.
• Former gilding and gilt-lacquer highlights largely worn away, surviving as scattered warm remnants.
• Abrasion concentrated at the edges of garment folds, the planes of the knees and the cheek; edge rubs and gilt wear are visible in the photographs.

Authenticity & Care

The reign-style mark resembling a Qianlong formula is treated as a stylistic or workshop cue, often apocryphal, not as proof of an 18th-century date; an earlier Qing date is possible but cannot be claimed without underside, join and casting evidence and clearer mark documentation. No definitive attribute (lotus, flask or small Buddha in the crown) is visible, so the Guanyin identification is the strongest reading rather than a proven one. This figure measures about 60 cm; the 32 cm cloisonné Shakyamuni named in earlier copy is a different object. Every piece is examined and documented in Japan before dispatch and is offered with the Japonista authenticity guarantee.

Delivery from Japan

Packed by hand in Japan and shipped insured and tracked by EMS or an equivalent express service. Import duties and taxes, where applicable, are payable on arrival. Returns follow our published policy.

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