A GILT BRONZE FIGURE OF AMITAYUS, KANGXI China, 1661-1722. Cast seated in dhyanasana on a double lotus base, a billowing shawl falling neatly over the base, the hands lowered in dhyanamudra, richly adorned in beaded jewelry with turquoise and coral inlays, wearing a long flowing robe, the hems finely incised with scrolling vines. Provenance: Art of the Past, New York, 8 November 1998. Collection Mr. and Mrs. J. L. Sharpe, Strasbourg, France, acquired from the above. A copy of the original invoice, stating the land of origin as ‘Sino-Tibet’ and erroneously dating the piece to the 19th century, accompanies this lot. Condition: Good condition with minor wear and casting irregularities, occasional light scratches, minuscule nicks here and there, few losses, wear to gilt. The base has been resealed at some point after casting. Weight: 658.4 g Dimensions: Height 19.2 cm The deity is skillfully portrayed with a serene expression below an urna and framed by an elaborate headdress and a pair of pendulous earlobes adorned with ornamental earrings. The hair is arranged in an elaborately knotted chignon surmounted by a lotus bud finial, several locks of hair gently falling over the shoulders. This finely cast figure of Amitayus belongs to a small group of sculptures produced during the reign of the Kangxi Emperor who was a devout follower of Tibetan Buddhism. Figures in this group are of varying sizes and depict Amitayus seated on a double-lotus petal pedestal with a serene facial expression and draped in jewelry embellished with colorful semi-precious stones. Such portrayals are characteristic of imagery used by Tibetans. Amitayus, the Buddha of Infinite Life, is the deity associated with the rites that ensure long life. He is especially worshipped by Tibetans, who believe that life can be extended through long lineages, faith, and compassion. It is also believed that one can achieve self-enlightenment and cater to the welfare of others with the help of Amitayus. Literature comparison: Compare with a Kangxi figure of Amitayus from the Qing court collection, preserved in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in Buddhist Statues of Tibet: The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum, Hong Kong, 2003, p. 238, cat. no. 227. Compare also with a figure of Avalokiteshvara from the Yuan dynasty, which served as the model for the present type of Kangxi figure, at Bonhams Hong Kong in Images of Devotion on 5 October 2020, lot 117. Auction result comparison: Compare with a related figure at Sotheby’s Hong Kong in Gems of Chinese Art – The Speelman Collection II on 3 October 2018, lot 3415, bought-in at an estimate of HKD 500,000-800,000. 康熙銅鎏金嵌寳無量壽佛坐像 中國，1661-1722年。無量壽佛手結禪定印平行曡放在雙膝上，趺坐於雙層蓮座上，頭戴寶冠，髮髻高聳，項戴纓絡項鍊，鑲嵌綠松石與珊瑚，飄帶陰刻團花，裝飾華麗 。雙層蓮花座，大蓮瓣。其銅質緻密，鎏金厚重。 來源：紐約Art of the Past, 1998年11月8日。 法國斯特拉斯堡J. L. Sharpe夫婦收藏, 購於上述出處。隨附原始發票複印件，顯示“漢藏”來源並注明十九世紀。 品相：狀況良好，磨損小，鑄件不規則，偶爾有輕微的划痕，到處都有微小的刻痕，幾乎沒有損失，鎏金磨損。 鑄造後底座被重新密封。 重量：658.4 克 尺寸：高19.2 厘米 無量佛表情寧靜安詳，頭戴枝葉繁密的寶冠。髮髻上方作頂嚴，耳垂圓璫，繒帶於耳後揚起，精緻的頭飾，兩束頭髮垂于兩肩。 這座精美的阿彌陀佛雕像，屬於康熙皇帝（他是虔誠的藏傳佛教徒）在位期間所製的一系列造像之一。這一組中的造像大小各異，塑造的是蓮座上的無量壽佛，表情寧靜，身披華麗珠寶。這種刻畫是藏族使用的圖像的特徵。 無量壽佛是藏傳佛教信仰中極為重要的神明，他能滿足現世人間眾生對於福壽綿長的追求，特別受到藏人的崇拜，因爲他們相信生命可以通過血統、信仰和惻隱之心而延長。人們還相信，在無量佛的幫助下，在死後超脫輪迴之苦，前往美好的西方極樂世界。 文獻比較：一件康熙無量壽佛造像可見於北京故宮博物院，Buddhist Statues of Tibet: The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum, 香港, 2003, p. 238, cat. no. 227. 一件元代觀音造像可見於香港邦翰思 Images of Devotion，2020年10月5日，lot 117。 拍賣結果比較：一件相近造像見於香港蘇富比Gems of Chinese Art – The Speelman Collection II 拍場，2018年10月 3日，lot 3415, 估價HKD 500,000-800,000。