A large gilded bronze figure of Guanyin, 18th/19th century,…
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A large gilded bronze figure of Guanyin, 18th/19th century, seated in lalitasana on a Buddhist lion, her hands in karana and varada mudra, with a ruyi in her right hand, her serene face with downcast eyes, framed by pendulous ear lobes, her hair piled into an elaborate coif behind a tiara, wearing a long flowing robe open at the chest to reveal a beaded necklace, the whole on a carved lotus pedestal base, traces of blue and red pigment in the Buddha and the mount's hair, six-character Qian long mark to the back. 49 cm high
gilding. Gilding is a method of ornamentation whereby a thin sheet of gold metal is applied to items for decorative purposes.
Gesso is a mixture of plaster of Paris and gypsum mixed with water and then applied to the carved wooden frames of mirrors and picture frames as a base for applying the gold leaf. After numerous coats of gesso have been applied, allowed to dry and then sanded a coat of "bole", a usually red coloured mixture of clay and glue is brushed on and allowed to dry, after which the gold leaf is applied. Over time parts of the gilding will rub off so the base colour can be seen. In water gilding, this was generally a blue colour, while in oil gilding, the under layer was often yellow. In Victorian times, gilders frequently used red as a pigment beneath the gold leaf.
Metal was often gilded by a process known as fire gilding. Gold mixed with mercury was applied and heated, causing the mercury to evaporate, the long-term effect of which was to kill or disable the craftsman or woman from mercury poisoning. The pursuit of beauty has claimed many victims, not the least of which were the artists who made those pieces so highly sought after today.
bronze. An alloy of copper and tin, traditionally in the proportions of about 9 parts of copper to 1 part of tin.
The discovery of bronze in Western Asia in the 4th century enabled people to create metal objects which were superior to those previoulsy possible because of its strength and hardness, and it has been used throughout the world for weapons, coins, tools, statuary and other decorative items.
It is very fluid in a molten state, and its hardness, strength when set, and non-corrosive properties makes it most suitable for casting sculpture.
The buyers premium is an additional percentage charge on the hammer price of the item, imposed by the auction house to cover administrative costs. The buyers premium percentage varies between auction houses, with a range of 12.5% to 22%.
