A LARGE GILT-LACQUERED WOOD FIGURE OF AVALOKITESHVARA, VIETNAM, 18TH-19TH CENTURYThe Bodhisattva depicted seated in padmasana on a lotus base, his primary hands in a tantric mudra, a further set of hands resting in his lap, while the other arms radiate around him, holding auspicious symbols, dressed in long flowing robes, adorned with jewelry, the face with a serene expression, heavy-lidded eyes, and full lips, flanked by elongated earlobes, the head surmounted by a tall crown.Provenance: From a private estate in Nice, France.Condition: Good condition with some old wear, weathering, scratches, small chips, few expected age cracks, minor losses, flaking to lacquer, and the arms with old repairs.Weight: 6,122 gDimensions: Height 59 cmAlthough many Buddhists in mainland Southeast Asia are practitioners of Theravada Buddhism, this sculpture represents Vietnam’s vassalage under the Chinese, who largely introduced Mahayana Buddhism to the country. Among the most important Buddhist deities in the Mahayana pantheon is the Bodhisattva ofpassion, Avalokiteshvara.Literatureparison:Compare a related gilt-lacquered wood figure of Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara, 59.4 cm, Vietnam, 19th century, in the USC Pacific Asia Museum, accession number 1988.5.1.pare a related gilt lacquer bronze figure of Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara, North Vietnam, 18th century or later, in the Asian Civilisations Museum, accession number 1998-00054.Auction resultparison:Type: RelatedAuction: London, 26 February 2008, lot 128Price: GBP 3,600 or approx.EUR 7,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writingDescription: A Vietnamese dry lacquered-wood figure of Avalokitesvara, 19th centuryExpert remark:pare the related pose and face. Note the size (69 cm).十八至十九世紀越南大型鎏金漆觀音木像菩薩坐在蓮花座上，他的主手施密宗手印，另一組手放在他的膝蓋上，而其他手則分別施不同手印，穿著飄逸的僧袍，飾有珠寶 ，面容安詳，雙眼下垂，嘴唇豐滿，兩側是細長的耳垂，頭上戴高冠。