A CAST AND REPOUSSE GILT COPPER ALLOY FIGURE OF GREEN TARA, QIANLONG PERIOD Tibetan-Chinese, 1736-1795. Seated in lalitasana atop a double-lotus base with beaded edges, her raised left hand held in vitarka mudra and holding a lotus stem, her left lowered in prithvi mudra. Wearing a fine dhoti cascading in voluminous folds and neatly incised with foliate and diapered designs at the hems. Richly adorned with beaded, floral, and inlaid jewelry. The finely incised hair pulled up into a tall double-topknot falling elegantly in long segments down the sides of the shoulders and surmounted by a jewel.

Provenance: From the collection of Gustave Fayet (1865-1925), thence by descent in the family. Gustave Fayet was a French painter and art collector, who owned works by Degas, Manet, Pissarro and above all Paul Gauguin. Fayet was a man with a universal curiosity, an eminent patron of the arts, and a discerning collector in all fields.
Condition: Overall fine condition commensurate with age and presenting remarkably well and attractive. With old wear, traces of use and some minor casting flaws, occasional light scratches, tiny nicks, few small dents. Losses to inlays, some of the remaining inlays may be later replacements. Well-preserved ancient pigments. The separately cast lotus flowers at the shoulders are missing. The lacquer gilt sections with scattered stains. The fire gilt sections with minor areas of malachite encrustation. The base lid is bent and indented.

Weight: 3,166 g
Dimensions: Height 37.7 cm

The serene face with heavy-lidded eyes, gently arched brows centered by an urna, and full lips forming a benevolent smile, flanked by long pendulous earlobes.

The impressive statue is made from a solid cast of copper alloy, as clearly evidenced by the lack of any dings or bent areas to body and base. Only the earrings, scarf, strands of hair, and the lotus foot support are executed in copper repoussé. The statue is gilt overall, partially in lacquer and partially with a superb fire-gilt, exactly as expected from a statue of the Qianlong period.

The present work exhibits many characteristics common to the Buddhist workshops of the Qianlong period, such as the combination of cast and repoussé parts, the languid and feminine treatment of the face and body, and the tightly waisted double-lotus base with broad petals. The Qing court patronage of Buddhism that began under the Kangxi Emperor reached epic proportions under his grandson, the Qianlong Emperor. The Buddhist centers of Beijing, Rehol, and Dolonnor produced thousands upon thousands of images to keep up with the demand of the numerous temples in and outside the capital.

Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Christie's New York, 16 September 2016, lot 1231
Price: USD 35,000 or approx. EUR 40,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A cast and repoussé gilt-bronze figure of a bodhisattva, Qianlong period
Expert remark: The bronze belongs to the same group as the present lot, combining repoussé elements with a cast figure. The bronze is of near-identical size (37.1 cm) and also dated to the Qianlong period.

Auction result comparison:
Type: Related
Auction: Christie's New York, 20 March 2019, lot 674
Price: USD 112,500 or approx. EUR 122,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A large cast and repoussé gilt-bronze figure of Green Tara, Inner Mongolia, Dolonnor style, late 18^th century
Expert remark: The bronze also depicts Green Tara and belongs to the same group as the present lot, combining repoussé elements with a cast figure. The bronze is of considerably larger size (58.1 cm high) and dated to the late 18^th century.


乾隆銅鎏金錘鍱綠度母
漢藏, 1736-1795年。本尊綠度母坐像，通身以錘鍱工藝製作，半跏趺舒坐於蓮花寶座上，為典型的三折姿勢。葫蘆形髮髻高聳，雙耳垂肩，耳懸花鐺，披肩長辮優美。面容飽滿，嘴角上揚微笑，雙眉之間有白毫，端莊靜穆，給人以悲憫之感。上軀袒露，佩掛項圈及連珠長鏈，手、臂、踝均飾有釧環。左腿橫盤，右腳下應踏小蓮台，左手於胸前施三寶印，右手置膝前作予願印。其下蓮座為雙層束腰仰覆式，台座規矩，蓮瓣舒展精細。

來源：Gustave Fayet (1865-1925) 收藏，保存在同一家族至今。Gustave Fayet 曾是一位法國畫家和藝術收藏家。他的收藏中可見德加、莫奈、畢加索和高更。Fayet是一個特別有好奇心的傑出的藝術贊助人，也是一個在各個領域都獨具慧眼的收藏家。
品相：整體狀況良好，與年齡相稱。有磨損，使用痕跡和一些輕微的鑄造缺陷，局部輕微的劃痕和刻痕，少量小凹痕。鑲嵌物的遺失，一些剩餘的鑲嵌物可能在後期更換過。顏料保存完好。肩部分鑄的蓮花遺失。漆面鎏金部分有散落的污漬，少量綠色結殼。底蓋彎曲。

重量：3,166 克
尺寸：高37.7 厘米

造像整體華貴莊嚴通體鎏金並嵌寶，金水厚重凝亮，只有耳環、圍巾、髮束和蓮花足托是用銅做的。錘鍱工藝的特性，使得造像表面富有肌理的變化，顯然是一尊極為典型的乾隆時期佛造像精品之作。

本作品展現了乾隆時期佛教造像的許多共同特點，如鑄件和凸紋的結合，面部和身體的慵懶和女性化的處理，以及雙層束腰仰覆式。清廷對佛教的支持始於康熙，在他的孫子乾隆皇帝的統治下達到了最高時期。北京、承德熱河寺、多輪卓爾等寺廟為了滿足眾多寺廟的需求，製作了成千上萬的佛像。

拍賣結果比較：
形制：非常相近
拍賣：紐約佳士得，2016年9月16日，lot 1231
價格：USD 35,000（相當於今日EUR 40,500）
描述：乾隆銅鎏金錘鍱菩薩
專家評論：這件青銅器與本拍品屬於同一類型，結合了錘鍱和鑄像技術。該青銅器的尺寸(37.1 厘米)與現拍品幾乎相同，也是乾隆時期的作品。

拍賣結果比較：
形制：相近
拍賣：紐約佳士得，2019年3月20日，lot 674
價格：USD 112,500（相當於今日EUR 122,500）
描述：十八世紀末内蒙古多倫諾爾風格大型銅鎏金錘鍱綠杜母
專家評論：這件綠度母青銅像，與本拍品屬於同一類型，結合了錘鍱和鑄像技術。此18世紀末青銅像尺寸更大（高58.1厘米）。