CHINA, BEIJING, 18TH-19TH CENTURY

The present group of small gilt-lacquered wood figures were likely made in one of the hundreds of imperially-sponsored Buddhist centers around the Qing capital of Beijing. Thousands upon thousands of images were created to fill the many Tibetan-style Buddhist temples that were constructed throughout the reign of the Qianlong Emperor (1736-1795). While many were cast in gilt-bronze, the gilt-lacquered wood technique was often used, particularly for very large images. These two small works would likely have been part of a much larger set depicting the pantheon of Gelug deities; the image of Jambhala is distinguished by the mongoose sitting on the front of the base, rather than resting in Jambhala's left arm. Both images display unusual sensitivity in the facial features, demonstrating the success of the gilt-lacquer technique in capturing naturalism. Compare with a larger gilt-lacquered wood figure of Buddha enthroned, sold at Christie's New York, 22-23 March 2018, lot 1041, for $684,500.