A rare 'famille-rose' figure of Amitayus, probably 20th century

seated in dhyanasana on a triangular waisted lotus pedestal with hands held in dhyanamudra originally supporting a vase, the face and body applied with a pale puce enamel, the deity with lowered gaze and serene expression, the hair enamelled blue partially falling in long tresses over the shoulders, the rest swept up into a high top knot secured with a jewel behind the five-leaf crown, adorned with jewellery and with a green shawl draped over the shoulders and lower arms, the dhoti in iron-red with gilt scrolls revealing at the front a lower layer in bright yellow with floral roundels, the detachable base with tiers of lotus petals in lime-green and blue on a turquoise ground, the tips of the scarf falling over the front, countersunk base
53.5 cm high

• Lot Sold $185,000 (Hammer Price)
• $225,700 (Hammer Price with Buyer's Premium)

Literature

The adoration of brightly coloured deities has a long tradition in Tibetan Buddhism and the wide colour range in the 'famille-rose' palette during the Qing dynasty made porcelain an ideal medium to create such Buddhist figures. Due to the difficulty of making these complex figures they were extremely rare and it is likely they were especially made on commission mainly for the temples of the imperial palace precincts.
The Amitayus Buddha is invoked to cure illness and after death the hope to be transported to the world of Amitabha who resides in the Western Paradise.
Compare with a figure of smaller size dated to the Qianlong period sold Sotheby's Hong Kong, 5 October 2011, lot 1976; and another dated to the 18th/19th century sold Sotheby's New York, 23 March 2011, lot 729

Condition Report

The figure - the hands pierced with an aperture for the attachment of a vase now missing. The base - some wear and surface scratches around the glazed edge of the upper platform. The central projecting cylinder has two locking notches for attachment of the figure, each of these with some infill, a small frit on the upper edge of the cylinder. A small frit to the gilt rim above the upper band of petals,. A small chip approx 0.6cm to the inner edge of the foot rim. The plug missing from the aperture on the underside.