116 - AN IMPORTANT AND LARGE (94 CM) GILT-WOOD FIGURE OF SEISHI BOSATSU (MAHASTHAMAPRAPTA), KAMAKURA PERIOD

AN IMPORTANT AND LARGE (94 CM) GILT-WOOD FIGURE OF SEISHI BOSATSU (MAHASTHAMAPRAPTA), KAMAKURA PERIOD Japan, 13 th century, Kamakura period (1185-1333) Scientific Analysis Report: The result of a radiocarbon dating test conducted by RCD Lockinge, no. RCD-10357, of a sample taken in December 2024 from the present sculpture’s head, is consistent with the dating of this lot. A copy of the signed report, dated 7 April 2025, accompanies this lot. Lot Essay: Particularly remarkable is the exceptional survival of the gilded surface. After almost a millennium, extensive areas retain a rich, luminous brilliance, attesting to the extraordinary quality of the original workmanship and preservation. The present figure finds its closest comparison in the standing Amida triad in the Musée national des arts asiatiques-Guimet, Paris, inventory number MG 4723, whose Seishi Bosatsu is closely related in form, posture, and treatment of the drapery and likewise preserves a remarkably rich gilded surface. The Guimet triad vividly demonstrates the radiant appearance such devotional sculptures were intended to possess, making the superb survival of the gilding on the present figure all the more remarkable. Finely carved, the bodhisattva standing gracefully upon a separately carved double-lotus pedestal, the hands joined before the chest in gassho (anjali mudra). The figure is richly gilt, the remarkably well-preserved gilding retaining a superbly luminous appearance across the face, torso, arms, and flowing garments. He is clad in a long, diaphanous robe falling in deep vertical folds to the feet, with scarves and sashes looping outward from the arms and cascading elegantly along the sides. The torso is adorned with jeweled armlets and bracelets, while the serene face is finely modeled with gently downcast eyes, arched brows, a straight nose centered by an inlaid urna, and full lips with a finely delineated moustache, all flanked by elongated earlobes. The hair is gathered into a tall, elaborate topknot and crowned by a gilt tiara. HEIGHT (the figure) 70 cm, HEIGHT (incl. base) 94 cm Provenance: From a private collection in Arizona, USA. Condition: Good condition with typical old wear and minor rubbing and losses to the gilding and lacquer. Few minor, non-distracting repairs to both feet, the scarves, and to the lotus pedestal, some with associated touchups and remnants of adhesive. The extensive gilding is remarkably well preserved, retaining a superbly luminous appearance. Presenting magnificently. The present sculpture would originally have formed part of an Amida-sanzon (Amida Triad), with Amida Nyorai (Sanskrit: Amitabha Tathagata), the Buddha of Infinite Light, at the center, flanked by his attendant bodhisattvas Kannon (Avalokiteshvara) and Seishi (Mahasthamaprapta). Such triads visualize the Welcoming Descent (raigo), in which Amida descends from the Western Pure Land with his celestial retinue to receive devotees at the moment of death. Seishi Bosatsu (Mahasthamaprapta), the bodhisattva associated with wisdom and spiritual power, is one of Amida's two principal attendants in Japanese Pure Land Buddhism. He is typically shown with the hands joined in gassho and is comparatively rarely represented in Japanese sculpture outside the Amida triad. Museum comparison: Compare a closely related gilt-wood figure of Seishi, Kamakura period, dated late 12th-13th century, 83.8 cm high (excl. pedestal), in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, object number 12.134.18. Auction comparison: Compare a closely related gilt-wood standing figure of Juichimen Kannon, late Heian-Kamakura period, dated 12th-13th century, 71.3 cm high and 86.2 cm high incl. pedestal, at Christie's, Japanese Art and Design, 19 June 2002, London, lot 48 (sold for GBP 22,705 or approx. EUR 51,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing).