187. IMPORTANTE STATUETTE DE SHANCAI TONGZI EN BRONZE DORÉ Dynastie Ming A RARE LARGE GILT-BRONZE FIGURE OF SHANCAI TONGZI Ming Dynasty Modelled as a young boy leaning forward with his head slightly turned upwards, holding his hands in adoration in front of his chest, palms together in the gesture of a firm and sincere heart, with precious bangles adorning his upper arms, wrist and ankles, wearing a short cape over a long robe, and aprons secured around his chest with a belt, long sashes enveloping his arms and body, the hems finely incised with scrolling lotus, clouds and geometric patterns, smiling, his face with a joyful expression, three tufts of hair rising from his head and a single earring hanging from his left ear. 48.5cm (19 1/8in.) high. 明 銅鎏金善財童子立像 Provenance: Collection of Wilhelm Sacklowski, Berlin, acquired in Beijing between 1922 and 1932, thence by descent in the family, acquired in 1993 from the family 來源： 柏林Wilhelm Sacklowski先生珍藏，於1922至1932年間得自北京，後經家族流傳，至1993年傳至現藏家 This charming figure of Sudhana, known as Shancai in Chinese, a young Indian boy who went on a pilgrimage seeking enlightenment and studying under 53 masters, was associated with the image of Guanyin from the mid-Ming dynasty. In visual representations of the Guanyin, the figure of Sudhana would appear next to the figure of Longnu, the Dragon King's daughter. These two youths are considered Guanyin's acolytes, and while there is no scriptural basis for this grouping, the two figures often appear together, Sudhana standing to the right of Guanyin, and the figure of Longnu on the left. See a related gilt-bronze example of Sudhana, published in Selected Gems of Cultural Relics - Newly Collected in the Palace Museum in the last Fifty Years, Beijing, 2005, pp.130-131, no.168. Compare with a larger gilt-bronze figure of Sudhana, dated to the 17th century, sold in Sotheby's Paris, 10 June 2015, lot 204.