Kushan period. Finely wrought of solid gold, Avalokiteshvara is seated in dhyanasana, dressed in loose robes falling in neatly detailed folds along the body, the hands holding a large lotus blossom at the chest, the body richly adorned in ornate jewelry, the mustachioed face with a serene expression, framed by circular earrings and the turban tied above the forehead and centered by a diminutive figure of the Buddha Amitabha.

Provenance: Ex-Collection of The Zelnik István Southeast Asian Gold Museum. Institutional art collection in Belgium, acquired from the above. Dr. István Zelnik, President of the Hungarian South and Southeast Asian Research Institute, is a former high-ranking Hungarian diplomat who spent several decades in Southeast Asia, building the largest known private collection of Asian art in Europe.
Condition: Very good condition with minor wear, some irregularities inherent to production, encrustations, nicks, scratches, and dents.
Alloy composition range: 91.09% gold, 7.40% silver, 1.23% copper, 0.27% iron. The figure was tested by the Zelnik István Southeast Asian Gold Museum.

Weight: 68.6 g
Dimensions: Height 8.3 cm

Literature comparison:
Gold figures from the ancient region of Gandhara are extremely rare. Compare a related gold standing figure, dated 1st-2nd century AD and attributed to the North-West frontier of the Kushan Empire (modern-day Punjab), 5.1 cm high, in the Victoria & Albert Museum, accession number IS.13-1948. Compare a related gold figure of a bull, dated 1^st century BC and attributed to Bactria or Gandhara, 5.2 cm long, in the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, accession number EA1993.21. Compare a related Gandharan bronze finial depicting the enthroned Buddha, dated 4^th-5^th century, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, accession number 2015.782.1.

Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Sotheby’s Hong Kong, 8 October 2019, lot 3625
Price: HKD 1,125,000 or approx. EUR 142,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A rare early Gandharan-style gilt-bronze votive figure of Shakyamuni Buddha, Sixteen Kingdoms, 4^th-early 5^th century
Expert remark: Compare the related modeling and manner of casting. Note the different material, slightly later dating, and the size (12.3 cm).

Auction result comparison:
Type: Related
Auction: Bonhams Hong Kong, 1 December 2023, lot 1859
Price: HKD 6,100,000 or approx. EUR 724,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A silver inlaid gilt and silvered copper alloy figure of a chauri bearer, Greater Gandhara, 4^th-6^th century
Expert remark: Compare the related modeling and manner of casting. Note the different material, slightly later dating, and identical size (8.3 cm).

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