RARE STATUETTE D'UN BODHISATTVA EN BRONZE DORÉÉpoque Kangxi (1662-1722)A RARE GILT-BRONZE FIGURE OF A BODHISATTVAKangxi (1662-1722)Finely and heavily cast seated inlalitasana, the right leg stretched out over the base, the left leg drawn in, with her right arm held invaradamudra and her left arm invitarkamudra, wearing a long diaphanousdhoti elaborately decorated with finely incised scattered floral roundels and with chased and engraved lotus scroll borders, flowing over his legs and gathered in folds around his feet, the chest bare and covered with an ornate necklaces with beaded festoons, a similarly beaded belt around his waist, the face rendered with a benevolent expression accentuated with slightly downcast eyes and a gentle smile, framed by a pair of pendulous earlobes, the hair drawn up in an ornately braided high chignon, seated on a separate, heavily cast lotus pedestal made of rows of overlapping lotus petals, the base sealed with a gilt-metal plate incised with a doublevajra.23.5cm (9 1/4in) high. (2).Provenance: THE PROPERTY OF A DISTINGUISHED EUROPEAN FAMILY 歐洲顯赫家族藏品清康熙 銅鎏金菩薩坐像Provenance:Acquired by the parents of the present owners, and thence by descent來源:現任藏家父母獲得，並由後人保存迄今This exquisitely cast small gilt-bronze figure of a bodhisattva, possibly representing a Tara, belongs to an important group of bronzes of similarly refined quality and jewel-like size that were made with separate lotus bases, with bands of raised lotus flowers skillfully worked and chased in repoussé. Three gilt-bronze figures of different iconography, two of almost identical size, one slightly larger, and very similar style and quality in the Palace Museum collection, Beijing, are placed on identical, separately-cast stands with layered lotus petals surrounding the base, seeTheplete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum – 60 - Buddhist Statues of Tibet, Hong Kong, 2002, pp.239-41, no.228 (Amitayus), no.229 (Vajradhara) and no.230 (Green Tara) (Figs. 1-3). We can therefore assume that these figures were all made in the same workshop associated with the palace, and probably made for the Qing court.Several other examples of figures on similar bases have been sold at auction,pare, for example, a figure of Avalokiteshvara sold in Christie's Hong Kong, 28 November 2012, lot 2265, and a second figure of Amitayus, sold Christie's Hong Kong, 30 May 2018, lot 2867, and a third figure (possibly with a matched stand) sold Christie's New York, 13 September 2019, lot 857. Yet another figure is recorded on Himalayan Art Resources (himalayanart.org) as item no.8084, previously sold in Sotheby's New York, 16 and 17 March 1988, lot 196.The present figure with its slightly stiff posture, attenuated features, the drapery, tall braided chignon and the shape of the base shares stylistic characteristics with gilt-bronze sculpture from areas of Inner Mongolia outside the Qing capital in Beijing, e