A BRONZE FIGURE OF SAMANTABHADRA RIDING AN ELEPHANT, MING DYNASTYChina, 1368-1644. Seated on the back of a recumbent elephant with the feet resting on a lotus base, his left hand holding a scroll, his right hand raised in shuni mudra, clad in long robes tied at the waist and open at the chest revealing a beaded necklace with ruyi and pendants, the serene face with downcast eyes centered by an urna, flanked by elongated earlobes embellished with floral earrings, the hair tied behind a floral and beaded tiara and flanked by elaborately tied bows. The elephant is embellished with beaded gear and a bell collar.Provenance: Norwegian trade.Condition: Good conditionmensurate with age. With some old wear, small dents, light scratches, losses, corrosion, and casting flaws.Weight: 4,520 gDimensions: Height 33.7 cmSamantabhadra is the bodhisattva associated with the practice of Buddhist teaching and joins Manjushri, the lord of transcendent wisdom, in a trinity with Shakyamuni Buddha. The bodhisattva is borne by a white elephant, symbolic of the strength achieved through the practice of Buddhism. The bronze is typical of later Ming works, finely cast and of rich color, and made with elegant reference to antiquity, the heavy and elaborate jewelry and voluminous undulating robes echoing the classical styles of Northern Qi through Song period sculpture.Literatureparison:There is a long tradition of depicting the bodhisattva Samantabhadra in bronze. A Song dynasty figure of Samantabhadra in the collection of the Palace Museum, Beijing, is illustrated as one of a pair, together with the Bodhisattva Manjusri in Zhongguo meishu quanji. Diaosu bian (Theplete collection of Chinese art: Sculptures), vol. 5, Beijing, 1989, pls 153-154.Auction resultparison:Type: RelatedAuction: Sotheby’s Hong Kong, 9 October 2020, lot 3653Price: HKD 277,200 or approx.EUR 33,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writingDescription: A gilt-lacquered bronze figure of Samantabhadra, late Ming dynastyExpert remark: Note the similar size (31.5 cm)明代普賢騎象銅像中國，1368-1644年。普賢菩薩面相方正清秀，額頭白毫凸起，彎眉細目，眼瞼微啟，嘴唇飽滿。髮髻高聳，戴寳冠，身著天衣綢裙，瓔珞釧環等裝飾刻劃精美，帔帛繞臂飄拂。普賢左手舉起持書卷，右手結耐心印置於腿上。菩薩法相妙然，沉穩祥和。菩薩脚踏蓮花，坐於臥象上。大象飾有串珠和鈴鐺。