Gyanyin China, 18th century tempera on canvas.... Lot 45

Gyanyin China, 18th century tempera on canvas. 234 x 318 cm Very important painting representing the Chinese aspect of Avalokiteshvara, the bodhisattva of compassion. The divinity, identified with the re-presentation of Amitâbha adorning his bun, is seated, richly dressed and adorned, on a lotus blooming in the heart of his island. She is holding a rosary and is leaning against a bamboo grove supporting bo-dhisattva and other deities of the Lamaic pantheon. Around her, two lotuses support a vase and a bird and she is surrounded by two assistants. In the upper left corner, Avalokiteshvara in its classical Tibetan eleven-sided and eight-armed form is surrounded by the green and white Târâ. The upper right corner is occupied by the representation of a Tibetan lama of the dGe-lugs-pa school among the mountains, leaning against five peaks. The vase of plenty held in his lap, the book and the sword, at-tributes of Manjushri (Mañjuçrî) of whom he is considered a reincarnation, placed above his shoulder, make it possible to propose his identity as lCang-skya rol-pa'i rdo-rje (1717-1786), second Qutuku (reincarnated Great Lama of Beijing making of?ce of "Imperial Guardian"). His presence here indicates that the painting was executed during his reign, and given its quality, most probably by the imperial workshops for the Beijing Yonghe Gong that Emperor Qianlong set up for him in 1745, or for the Yuan Pule that he erected for him on Mount Wutai Shan in Shanxi (Manjushri's legendary residence) in 1766-1769. The fact that the lama is worshipped in front of five mountains could argue in favour of the latter place. Beyond its exceptional dimensions, this painting has the remarkable characteristic of synthesizing Chinese and Tibetan Buddhist aesthetics, Guanyin, his attendants and their environment being clearly Chinese in the most classical style, the other deities following strictly the traditional Lamaic archetypes. This exceptional stylistic synthesis could also plead in favour of a provenance from the Yuan Pule, since the Wutai Shan is known to be home to many different Buddhist schools, and thus to artists who are well versed in all the Buddhist styles and iconographies of the Empire. Small accidents and visible wear and tear. Provenance: Compagnie de la Chine et des Indes (Paris) (Inv.23479 Acquired in 1991)