A RARE GILT-BRONZE FIGURE OF AVALOKITESHVARA15th century The deity finely cast seated in rajalilasana (royal ease), each hands holding the ends of a lotus stem, extending up the arms to flank the shoulders, the graceful figure wearing an elegantly draped dhoti secured with a sash and elaborate jewellery including necklaces, armlets, large circular earrings and a foliate tiara beneath an artfully arranged chignon, base unsealed. 18.5cm (7 2/8in) high. 十五世紀 銅鎏金觀音像 This very fine sculpture of Avalokiteshvara is particularly rare. It displays finesse and mastery of detail, embodying the sophisticated nuances of expression in the Buddhist imagery created during the 15th century. The figure radiatespassion with his downward gaze and gentle expression- the essential quality of the bodhisattva . Avalokiteshvara, known as the 'Infinitelypassionate Being' and 'Protector of the World' is the subject of the twenty-four chapter of the Lotus Sutra, in which he attempts to save all beings from the suffering of the world. Meaning 'enlightened being', bodhisattvas attained enlightenment but selflessly postponed entry into nirvana in order to assist other sentient beings in attaining enlightenment and thereby release from the samsara cycle of birth and rebirth. Bodhisattvas thus embody the Mahayana Buddhist ideal of delivering all living creatures from suffering. Thanks to the enormous stores they have amassed, bodhisattvas are able to assist others through the transfer of meritorious karma to those in need, a concept known in Sanskrit as parinamana . Bodhisattvas are presented in the guise of an early Indian prince, a reference to Siddhartha Gautama's worldly status before he became the Historical Buddha Shakyamuni, implying that just as Siddhartha (c. 563–483 BC), who was born a crown prince, became a Buddha, so will bodhisattvas eventually be Buddhas, once all sentient beings have attained enlightenment. Suggesting both tranquillity and a relaxed withdrawal from the world, the Royal Ease pose implies that the figure so seated is at peace with both world and self and is engaged in contemplation. The pose of Royal Ease, the literal translation of the Sanskrit terms lalitasana , traces its origins to ancient India. A crossbar roundel from the stone stupa of Amaravati in the British Museum, London, depicts King Suddhodana, the Buddha's father, so seated during a visit to Queen Maya, the Buddha's mother, in the Asoka Grove in Lumbini, thus giving literal association to the term 'pose of Royal Ease'. The elaborate jewellery and the sinuous body of the present figure closelypare with a gilt-bronze figure of Padmapani, Ming dynasty, 16th century, in the Cleveland Museum of Art, Ohio, illustrated by U.von Schroeder, Indo-Tibetan Bronzes , Hong Kong, 1981, p.530, fig.151F.