Ancient Guanyin Bodhisattva statue of Chinese origin to be auctioned in France

A rare wooden Buddha statue depicting the Bodhisattva Guanyin, found in a French family home, will go up for auction at Bonhams on June 13. The statue is expected to fetch a starting price of $1.1 million, the source said.

Front of Buddha statue, one arm almost missing the hand

Rare Buddha statue carefully preserved on June 9

This 1.11 meter tall Buddha statue is believed to have been created during the Jin Dynasty (12th-13th century) in China. In the 1930s, it was sold to a family in Boulogne, a suburb of France.

Large Buddha statues, like this one, were originally made to be placed in temples. When sold to the family in Boulogne, the Buddha was “kept” there until the present generation, and the family was unaware of its true value until Bonhams contacted them for the upcoming auction, said Caroline Schulten, head of Bonhams China.

Currently, information, related documents, and images of the statue have been posted on the official website of the Bonhams auction house. This auction house said that the lines on the statue's body such as eyebrows, eyes, neck, hands, ankles, to jewelry such as necklaces, and costumes... of the statue, all are delicately carved.

The Buddha statue was carefully moved to the auction house on April 5.

Another close-up shot of the Buddha's head

However, this person also added that the fingers on one hand of the statue were missing. It is possible that children were playing around with balls and accidentally touched the statue, causing the fingers to disappear. This person emphasized that because from the time of purchase in 1932, those fingers of the statue were still there.

In April, the statue was carefully moved to an auction house in Boulogne-Billancourt, Hauts-de-Seine department, near Paris.

Source link: https://thanhnien.vn/tuong-phat-co-quan-am-bo-tat-cua-trung-quoc-len-san-dau-gia-phap-185230611133745417.htm