Bonhams presents Chinese Art from the Scholar's Studio on September 16 in New York, starring a $300,000 gilt-bronze Buddhist sculpture from the 15th century.
 The piece was cast at the imperial studios in Beijing, as it was intended to be taken to Tibet on one of the many missions from the Chinese capital |
The sale features a "select group of fine Chinese furniture, paintings, snuff bottles, scholar's objects and devotional pieces."
The figure is a depiction of Shadakshari Lokeshvara, a form of the bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara, the patron saint of Tibet. It is inscribed with a six-character mark of the Yongle period, indicating that it was cast between 1403 and 1424 by the imperial studios.
Buddhist art is gaining momentum on the market, with items from the British expedition to Tibet selling for an outstanding $216,500 at Henry Aldridge & Sons on August 10.
Similarly strong results were seen for a gilt statue of the bodhisattva Guanyin on July 17.
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