A Gilt Bronze and Repousse Figure of a Standing Bodhisattva

This large elegant figure of a standing Bodhisattva exhibits many characteristics common to the Buddhist workshops of the Qianlong period, such as the use of both cast and repoussé elements, elongated arms and a languidly modeled body. The Qing court patronage of Buddhism under the Kangxi Emperor reached its apex under his grandson, the Qianlong Emperor, during which time the Buddhist centers of Beijing, Rehol, and Dolonnor, possibly the origin of the present work, produced a vast corpus of sculpture to inhabit the numerous temples in and outside of the capital. Compare the bodily proportions, the repoussé details and the treatment of the lotus base of the present work with a Qianlong period figure of Maitreya sold at Christie’s New York on 17-18 March 2016 for $60,000 (lot 1424).