Maitreya Chinese Bodhisattva in Devotional Posture – Gilt Bronze, lot 445

Estimated value: €1,200 – €1,800

This statue depicts a bodhisattva in a devotional posture, seated with hands clasped in añjali mudra. It is emphatically a figure with two arms; the elements on either side are lotus attributes and do not form part of the arm structure. The serene facial expression, the gilded face, and the stylized crown point to a Sino-Tibetan tradition from the late 19th to early 20th century.

The statue is cast in bronze using the traditional lost-wax method and shows remnants of original fire gilding, with natural wear on the raised areas. In recessed zones, the gold is better preserved, consistent with long-term ritual use. The patina is layered and shows stable copper oxidation without modern interventions. The combination of posture, lotus motifs, and restrained iconography fits within a Mahayana/Vajrayana context and is often associated with Maitreya worship in Chinese and Sino-Tibetan workshops, without constituting a multi-armed representation. Dimensions: H 29 cm × W 14 cm  
Weight: approx. 2 kg  
Origin: Sino-Tibetan region  
Dating: ca. 1880–1920  
Material: Bronze with remnants of fire gilding

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