Estimated at $300-600, a Sino-Tibetan gilt bronze bodhisattva hammered for $330,000 (£261,000).
The buyer will be hoping they have bought one of the celebrated series of bronzes cast in the imperial foundries during the reign of the Yongle emperor (1403-24).
The third ruler of the Ming dynasty had a very close affinity to Tibetan Buddhism and throughout his reign numerous Buddhist images made in Beijing were sent as gifts to high-ranking lamas and dignitaries.
The remoteness of the Tibetan plateau, combined with the reverence in which these images were held, meant many pieces survived largely untouched prior to the Communist invasion of Tibet.
Sino-Tibetan gilt-bronze figure of Maitreya with a Yongle mark sold for $330,000 (£261,000) at Concept Art Gallery.
Oil well wealth
The subject of this piece, seated in dhayanasana on a double lotus throne, is Manjushri, the bodhisattva associated with the wisdom of Buddha who wields a sword to cut down ignorance and duality. It has a six-character Yongle mark inscribed just above the pedestal and is engraved to the base with the protective visvavajra symbol.
Helping to fire interest in the piece was its provenance. It came for sale from the estate of Paul G Benedum, Jr (1931-2023), the son of Paul G and Willeen Ludwig Benedum and the great-nephew of legendary Pittsburgh oil man Michael L Benedum (1869-1959) who left a fortune exceeding $100m.
