A GILT-LACQUERED WOOD FIGURE OF AMIDA NYORAI,... Lot n° 16

A GILT-LACQUERED WOOD FIGURE OF AMIDA NYORAI, EDO PERIOD Japan, 18th-19th century, Edo period (1615-1868) Of yosegi (jointed) construction, finely carved seated in dhyanasana atop a separately carved double-lotus throne supported on a balustraded hexagonal base carved with swirling clouds, his hands lowered in mida jo-in, wearing a loose-fitting robe opening at the chest and cascading in voluminous folds, his serene face with downcast eyes and crystal-inlaid byakugo, the hair arranged in tight curls over the high ushnisha. HEIGHT (the figure) 28.5 cm and (total) 63 cm Condition: Good condition with typical wear, cracks with associated old repairs, little flaking, small losses, and minor touchups to lacquer, the head and hands loose, small chips and minor losses to exposed areas. Overall presenting very well. The separately carved kohai inset at the back of the base and finely carved with a central openworked lotus flower above a circular aperture surrounded by swirling clouds. The sculpture represents Amitabha, known in Japanese as Amida Nyorai, or the Buddha of Limitless Light. Amitabha reigns over the Western Pure Land, a paradise to which anyone is welcomed if they faithfully and sincerely incant his name. This place of salvation became central to the Jodo [lit. Pure Land] sect of Buddhism. Propounded in 1175 by the monk Honen, the accessibility of such tenets of redemption allowed this form of Buddhism to proliferate across the nation and feudal classes of Japan. Often depicted with an elaborate mandala, the boat-shaped halo is said to remind his followers that he serves as a guide for them to cross the ocean of suffering which contaminates the living.