Lot 272 , A Chinese gilt bronze seated figure of Amitayus, Qianlong period, dated 1770, Provenance - A. T. Arber-Cooke
A Chinese gilt bronze seated figure of Amitayus, Qianlong period, dated 1770, the crowned figure holding his hands in dhyana mudra inset with a red gem stone, and seated dhyanasana on a rectangular plinth draped with a long cloth and a flower head at its center above the inscription Da Qing Qianlong gengyin nian jing zao, the interior of the plinth stamped and incised, 18.5cm high, mandorla lacking Provenance - A. T. Arber-Cooke
Estimate £1,500-2,000
The points to his crown are slightly bent in and a small section of the point of the crown is missing on the top left side of his head as is a small fan shaped motif on the ribbon to the left of his head. There is some quite heavy green oxidisation to the back of the ribbons of his head. There is wear to the gilding on the high points, particularly around the hands and the knees consistent with age and use. The back panel of the throne is pushed in at the centre but not split, the mandorla that slots in at the back is missing and also the base panel which sits underneath the figure as seen from underneath is missing. There are some small patches of verdigris to the base of the throne, but these do remove fairly easily. On the left hand side of the throne, one of the spandrels is pushed in slightly, otherwise in reasonable condition.
Provenance - Alfred Theodore Arber-Cooke (c.1905-1993); thence by family descent. Arber-Cooke was an antiquarian and avid collector of Asian works of art, and antiquities principally collecting from the 1930s to the 1970s. He amassed a good reference library on Chinese & Asian coins and wrote on several occasions (1969-70) to to the academic F.A. Turk regarding the study of coin amulets and other non-currency coinages of China. A number of the Asian numismatic reference books will be offered in our 29th March sale.
Arber-Cooke initially lived in Wimbledon, Greater London and was involved with the Surrey Archaeological Society. He wrote the book 'Old Wimbledon', with a foreword the MP Sir Arthur Fell, published in 1927. He later moved to Llandovery in Carmarthenshire, Wales, again involved with local archaeology and wrote the History of Llandovery, published in 1975.
Descriptions provided in both printed and on-line catalogue formats do not include condition reports. The absence of a condition statement does not imply that the lot is in perfect condition or completely free from wear and tear, imperfections or the effects of aging. Interested bidders are strongly encouraged to request a condition report on any lots upon which they intend to bid, prior to placing a bid. All transactions are governed by Gorringes Conditions of Sale.
Sold for £4,200