The gilt-bronze figure of Cintamanicakra Avalokiteshvara fetched $2.06 million at Sotheby’s New York headquarters on March 20, 2019. The sculpture, dating to the late Tang Dynasty or Five Dynasties period, had a pre-sale estimate of just $60,000–$80,000. It was part of the Important Chinese Art sale during Sotheby’s Asia Week series.
The seller acquired the piece about 20 years prior to the auction. They initially took it to an Antiques Roadshow appraisal event in St. Louis, which likely helped establish its provenance and value before entering the Sotheby’s catalogue. The deity, also known as Guanyin in China, is depicted in the rare six-armed Cintamanicakra form, holding a wish-granting jewel, a dharma wheel, and a lotus stem.
Bidding intensified late in the session, lasting seven minutes according to Sotheby’s records. The final hammer price of $2,060,000 significantly outstripped the high estimate by more than 20 times. This result stood alongside other major sales, including a Qing Dynasty jade brushpot that also sold for $2.06 million and a Sutra of Perfect Enlightenment by the Qianlong Emperor, which brought in $2.66 million.
The Art Institute of Chicago’s group of Chinese jade also sold out for $3.2 million during the same event. The auction house highlighted the Cintamanicakra Avalokiteshvara as a standout result, underscoring the high market demand for rare Tang Dynasty bronze sculptures. The sale concluded the March 2019 Asia Week series in New York.