A BRONZE FIGURE OF THE INFANT BUDDHA, MING DYNASTY
China, 16th to early 17th century. Heavily cast standing atop a dais supported on a base, each with lotus petal design and beaded rim, the infant Buddha with his left arm pointing at the heavens and his right arm pendant at his side pointing at the earth. The boy naked except for the crisply cast loincloth wrapped around his belly, the face with a gentle smiling expression. The bronze with a fine, smooth, naturally grown patina with malachite encrustation.


Provenance:
From a German private collection.

Condition:
Very good condition with minor old wear and casting irregularities, few dents, minor losses.

Weight: 549.6 g
Dimensions: Height 14.7 cm


Expert’s note:
This representation of the standing, newborn Shakyamuni pointing to the sky with his left index finger, and to the ground with his right index finger, is described in Asvaghosa's Life of Buddha, translated by Samuel Beal, Sacred Books of the East, vol. XIX, Oxford, 1883, page 226: “Upright and firm and unconfused in mind, he deliberately took seven steps...he spoke thus with the fullest assurance: This birth is in the condition of a Buddha. After this I have done with renewed birth: now only am I born this once, for the purpose of saving all the world”.


Literature comparison:

A larger gilt-bronze figure of the Infant Buddha dated 1624 was included in the Catalogue of the exhibition The Crucible of Compassion and Wisdom, National Palace Museum, 1987, p. 213, pl. 116.


Auction result comparison:

Type: Closely related
Auction: Bonhams San Francisco, 16 December 2014, lot 8023
Price: USD 5,000 or approx.
EUR 6,000
adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A cast bronze figure of the infant Buddha, 17th century
Expert remark: Compare the closely related pose and manner of casting. Note the size (18.4 cm).




明代銅釋迦牟尼誕生像

中國，十六至十七世紀。此像跣足站立於仰式蓮花座上。立像塑作嬰孩身形，光頭大耳，杏眼微張，雙目前視，鼻樑高挺，嘴角上仰，流露笑意，肅穆沉靜中見靈氣逸然。造像左臂彎曲向上抬起，左手豎指作威懾印，右臂自然下垂，右手下指呈駐法印。銅像包漿厚重。


來源：
德國私人收藏。

品相：
狀況極好，有輕微的磨損和鑄造不規則，幾乎沒有凹痕，有輕微缺損。

重量：549.6 克
尺寸：高14.7 釐米


專家注釋：
佛經稱，悉達多太子降生後走了七步，步步生蓮花，隨後一手指天，一手指地說道：“天上地下，唯我獨尊”，這是釋迦牟尼普度眾生發出的莊嚴宣言。誕生像即來源於此傳說。相關翻譯可見Samuel Beal，《Sacred Books of the East》，卷XIX ，牛津 ，1883年，頁226。


文獻比較：

一尊較大1624年的鎏金佛童佛像，收錄於國立故宮博物院，《慈悲智慧之坩堝》，1987年，頁213，圖116。


拍賣結果比較：

形制：非常相近
拍賣：舊金山邦瀚斯，2014年12月16日，lot 8023
價格：USD 5,000（相當於今日
EUR 6,000
）
描述：十七世紀佛童銅像
專家評論：比較非常相近的姿勢和鑄造風格。請注意尺寸(18.4厘米)。