Lot 63
63
A Gilt Bronze Buddhist Reliquary
These lots have been imported from outside the EU … Read more Property of an American Collector
A Gilt Bronze Buddhist Reliquary

Kamakura period (13th - 14th century)

Details
A Gilt Bronze Buddhist Reliquary
Kamakura period (13th - 14th century)
A finely constructed gilt bronze lidded-flask reliquary, cast and tooled with bands of lotus leaves around the body and cover
13.2cm. high
Special Notice
These lots have been imported from outside the EU for sale using a Temporary Import regime. Import VAT is payable (at 5%) on the Hammer price. VAT is also payable (at 20%) on the buyer’s Premium on a VAT inclusive basis. When a buyer of such a lot has registered an EU address but wishes to export the lot or complete the import into another EU country, he must advise Christie's immediately after the auction.

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Lot Essay

Such reliquaries were made to contain the relics of Buddha, usually in the form of pieces of stone or crystal. This piece compares in shape and lotus features with the set of five (registered as National Treasures) in the Saidaiji Temple Collection, Nara.1 The sharpness of the sculpting of the leaves is characteristic of Kamakura period bronze altar piece sculpture, and the manner in which the gilt is worn away shows how the reliquary must have been carried around for some ritual reason over many years.

1. Busshari to Hoju: Ultimate Sanctuaries: The Aesthetics of Buddhist Relics Worship, (Nara National Museum, 2001), No. 53-2.

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