A Chinese Gilt Bronze Figure of Weituo Pusa, Ming Dynasty
明鎏金銅韋陀

Ming Dynasty (1368-1644)

Depicted standing with firmly planted feet, his left hand raised in a gesture of reassurance, the right bearing a stylized Vajra, clad in elaborate Chinese armor and helmet, and flowing scarves, gilt overall with traces of pigment to the lips and helmet; later weighted giltwood and gilt metal stand (formerly fitted as a lamp).
Note:
Weituo is the protector of the Dharma or Buddhist teachings. Often depicted in one of two poses: standing, with hands held together in anjalimudra, often with a sword laid horizontally behind the hands and resting on the forearms in a posture of devotion; or as here, standing with a stylized vajra (thunderbolt weapon) held upright in the right hand, and the other hand raised elegantly in front of his armored chest. Both versions are often portrayed in the elaborate armor of a Chinese general, with flowing scarves and windswept draperies.

Weituo may also be understood as a Sinicized version of Skanda, tasked by the Buddha to play a protective role, or as a manifestation of Vajrapani, an early protective attendant of the Buddha, a symbol of Buddha’s power.

Compare the present figure to the 12 3/4 in. seated gilt brass figure of Weituo, dated to the 17th century, in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, #2002.254. See also the larger (31 in.) figure of Weituo, dated to the 16th/17th century, standing with hands in anjali mudra from the collection of Alan and Simone Hartman, sold at Bonham's, New York, December 14, 2023, lot 12. For a figure of Weituo, larger than the present example at 17 5/8 in, in a similar standing pose but lacking his vajra, see Sotheby's, New York, March 17, 2021, lot 253. Compare also the 15 1/2 in. figure with the vajra extant, offered at Sotheby's New York, March 19, 2024, lot 199. See also the 16 1/4 in. figure sold at Bonham's, London, May 13-14, 2024, lot 554, lacking his vajra.

Figure height 13 1/4 in., 33.6 cm.; including base 17 in., 43.2 cm.

Property of a New England Collection.

This lot is located in New York.

Provenance:

Ex. Collection of American fashion designer Mary McFadden (1938-2024), New York, New York.

Doyle New York, Asian Works of Art, September 20, 2023, lot 63.

Property of a New England Collection, acquired from above.

Published:

Elle Decor, October 1, 2001, in an article illustrating the magnificent interior of McFadden's Manhattan apartment, where the Weituo is seen in the living room on the coffee table.

Mary McFadden was an American fashion designer whose historically inspired eveningwear and textile innovations made her one of the most distinctive figures in late 20th-century fashion, often described as a “design archaeologist.”

Born in Manhattan and raised partly on her family’s cotton plantation near Memphis, she lost her father in an avalanche at age nine. Educated at the Foxcroft School, Columbia University, the Sorbonne, and the Traphagen School of Fashion, she developed a wide-ranging cultural foundation.

Her career began in 1962 as public relations director for Christian Dior in New York and Paris, famously arranging to be paid in couture dresses rather than salary. After marrying De Beers merchant Philip Harari, she moved to South Africa, where Diana Vreeland secured her the role of editor at Vogue South Africa. She later wrote for the Rand Daily Mail and freelanced for Vogue Paris.

In 1976, she launched Mary McFadden Inc., best known for pleated gowns made of Marii, a patented synthetic charmeuse that draped like ancient Greek statuary. Worn by Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and other tastemakers, her designs drew on art history and world textiles. Harold Koda of The Met praised her as a “design archaeologist.”

McFadden became the first female president of the Council of Fashion Designers of America (1982–83) and won multiple Coty Awards, the CFDA Lifetime Achievement Award, and other honors. She also licensed her name to eyewear, footwear, and home furnishings.

Her personal life was famously unconventional—she joked of being married “at least eleven times,” with documented unions including Harari, Frank McEwen, Kohle Yohannan, and Vasilos Calitsis. With Harari, she had a daughter, Justine.

McFadden died in Southampton, New York, on September 13, 2024, aged 85. Her legacy endures in museum collections, in the wardrobes of her clients, and in her visionary approach to design.

來源：

紐約州紐約市時裝設計師瑪麗·麥芳登（Mary McFadde，1938-2024）舊藏。

紐約州紐約市Doyle拍賣行2023年9月20日亞洲藝術專場63號。

紐英倫地區私人收藏，購自上述。

時裝設計師瑪麗·麥芳登以其從歷史服飾汲取靈感聞名，被譽為「設計考古學家」，是上世紀末美國時尚界舉足輕重的人物。

生於曼哈頓的她童年多在田納西州孟菲斯附近的家族棉花園度過。九歲時父親在阿斯本因雪崩去世，此後家人搬至紐約長島，她曾在哥倫比亞大學、巴黎索邦大學，以及特拉法根服裝學校就讀。

1962年加入迪奧，任紐約及巴黎公關總監，開啓時尚界職業生涯，工資是每年五十件高訂服裝。不久，與鑽石商人菲利普·哈拉里（Philip Harari）結婚並移居南非，在初代“時尚女魔頭”黛安娜·弗里蘭（Diana Vreeland）的引薦下，出任南非版《Vogue》編輯。該刊停刊後，曾為《Rand Daily Mail》撰寫專欄，兼任法版《Vogue》自由編輯。

1976年創立同名品牌 Mary McFadden Inc.，以晚禮服知名。多用她自主研發并在1975獲得專利的Marii緞縫製，這種面料在澳洲製作，在日本染色，在美國壓褶，剪裁後垂墜如古希臘雕塑，廣受名流青睞，譬如前美國第一夫人傑奎琳·肯尼迪。

麥芳登的靈感大多來自藝術史與世界各地的紡織史，因而被譽爲“設計考古學家”。1982-83年，她成為美國時裝設計師協會（CFDA）首位女性主席。此外獲獎無數，並將品牌授權延伸至眼鏡、鞋履及家居設計等領域。

她的個人生活同樣充滿傳奇——常笑稱自己“至少結過十一次婚”，鑽石商前夫之外，還有歷史學家、電影導演、博物館長等。2024年9月下世，享年85歲。

Overall very good condition, conserning age and use, fixed to later base, wear to gilding at extremities, scattered small dings and surface scratches, helmet finial lost, pinkys very slightly bent; wear and abrasions to stand, formerly the base for a lamp.

Additional photos are updated before the sale via this link (asian.smugmug.com/Sale-6418). Please read the above or contact us to request a complete condition report.
品相細圖見鏈接 (asian.smugmug.com/Sale-6418)，品相報告見上文。圖錄中未說明品相的拍品並不等沒有磨損、瑕疵或其他問題，建議買家於拍前自行檢查。落槌無悔，請對您的競拍行為負責。如有其他問題，請郵件 [email protected]。

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Please contact the Auction Specialist for details.

Annie Wu

Senior Vice President, Head of Department, Asian Art

[email protected]312.447.3260

Ms. Wu joined the firm in 2014, after working as a specialist in the Asian Works of Art Department of an East Coast auction house. She researches, appraises, and sells Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Indian, and South East Asian works of art, including jades, bronzes, ceramics, paintings, armor, and furniture. Throughout her career, Ms. Wu has achieved record prices for several prominent estates and collections, including the Estate of Frank G. Mertes, Sr., Winona, Minnesota; the Chinese Painting Collection of Ms. Yuan Jiaying and Mr. Li Guoyuan, Chicago; the Estate of Hisazo Nagatani, Chicago, and the Asian Art Collection deaccessioned from the Strong Museum of Play, Rochester, New York.

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A Chinese Gilt Bronze Figure of Weituo Pusa, Ming Dynasty
明鎏金銅韋陀

Ming Dynasty (1368-1644)

Figure height 13 1/4 in., 33.6 cm.; including base 17 in., 43.2 cm.

Property of a New England Collection.

This lot is located in New York.

Provenance:

Ex. Collection of American fashion designer Mary McFadden (1938-2024), New York, New York.

Doyle New York, Asian Works of Art, September 20, 2023, lot 63.

Property of a New England Collection, acquired from above.

Published:

Elle Decor, October 1, 2001, in an article illustrating the magnificent interior of McFadden's Manhattan apartment, where the Weituo is seen in the living room on the coffee table.

McFadden died in Southampton, New York, on September 13, 2024, aged 85. Her legacy endures in museum collections, in the wardrobes of her clients, and in her visionary approach to design.

來源：

紐約州紐約市時裝設計師瑪麗·麥芳登（Mary McFadde，1938-2024）舊藏。

紐約州紐約市Doyle拍賣行2023年9月20日亞洲藝術專場63號。

紐英倫地區私人收藏，購自上述。

時裝設計師瑪麗·麥芳登以其從歷史服飾汲取靈感聞名，被譽為「設計考古學家」，是上世紀末美國時尚界舉足輕重的人物。

Asian Works of Art

A Chinese Gilt Bronze Figure of Weituo Pusa, Ming Dynasty明 鎏金銅韋陀

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**A Chinese Gilt Bronze Figure of Weituo Pusa, Ming Dynasty
明鎏金銅韋陀**