Christie’s will launch a dedicated Asia Pacific department for Indian, Himalayan, and Southeast Asian art this November, entering a historically niche category that has seen growing interest from both regional collectors and global institutions.
The inaugural 40-lot sale, taking place on 3 November during Hong Kong Asian Art Week, will be led by Edward Wilkinson, whose appointment as Global Head earlier this year signals Christie’s strategic commitment to the field. With nearly 30 years of experience, Wilkinson has held senior leadership roles at Sotheby’s and Bonhams, where he was instrumental in bringing rare and museum-quality works to market.
Anchoring the debut auction is a newly reattributed gilt-bronze figure of Avalokiteshvara, dating to the late 13th to early 14th century. A rare example of imperial Yuan dynasty Buddhist sculpture, it reflects the international style developed in the great Khubilai Khan’s (1215–1294) court workshops under the direction of Aniko – the famed Nepalese artist whose fusion of Himalayan and Chinese traditions shaped Buddhist art for centuries. With distinguished provenance from the Pan-Asian Collection, it is estimated at HK$20–30 million (US$2.5–3.8 million).
Edward Wilkinson | Christie’s Global Head of Indian, Himalayan, and Southeast Asian Art
An imperial gilt copper alloy figure of Avalokiteshvara
Yuan dynasty, late 13th / early 14th century
Height: 31 cm
Estimate: HK$20,000,000 - 30,000,000 (US$2.5–3.8 million)
Auction House: Christie’s Hong Kong
Sale: Indian, Himalayan and Southeast Asian Art
Date: 3 November 2025
The gilt-bronze Avalokiteshvara – the Bodhisattva of compassion – offers a rare window into the cultural synthesis that flourished under the Yuan dynasty during the reign of its founder, Khubilai Khan. As the Mongol Empire expanded across Asia, the imperial workshops of his court became a crucible of Chinese, Tibetan, and Himalayan traditions.
Though a Mongol by birth, Khubilai understood that ruling China required more than military conquest. To be seen as a legitimate emperor, he adopted Chinese political models, revived court rituals, and rebuilt ancestral temples. At the same time, he upheld a policy of religious tolerance and intellectual openness, inviting artists, architects, and scholars from across Asia into his court – creating an unusually fertile environment for artistic innovation.
The star lot of Christie’s upcoming inaugural sale in Hong Kong
Among the most influential figures of this period was Aniko (also known as Anige, 1245–1306), a Nepalese sculptor brought to the Yuan court in 1262 by the influential Tibetan monk Chögyal Phagpa.
Aniko’s appointment as director of the imperial workshops was unprecedented for a foreign artist, and under his leadership, a distinctive new style emerged – one that fused the ornate spirituality of Himalayan Buddhist art with the restrained composure of Chinese sculpture.
This hybrid aesthetic not only defined Yuan court patronage but laid the foundation for future imperial styles, particularly during the celebrated Yongle and Xuande reigns of the early Ming dynasty, when Buddhist art reached new heights of technical and stylistic refinement.
The star lot of Christie’s upcoming inaugural sale in Hong Kong
Seated in lalitāsana, or “royal ease,” the bodhisattva rests one leg pendant on a lotus pedestal and the other folded atop the throne – a posture that embodies calm, readiness, and compassion.
Its robust physique and sensuous modeling – broad shoulders, a muscular torso, and a form-fitting dhoti that clings to the body's contours – recall Indian and Nepalese sculptural traditions, marking a clear departure from the heavier robes of earlier Chinese Buddhist art. Yet the gentle, rounded facial features and the composition's graceful rhythm reflect distinctly Chinese ideals of beauty.
Delicate incised patterns on the robes mimic the luxurious textiles of the period, while turquoise, lapis lazuli, and colored glass are meticulously inlaid into the crown, jewelry, and garment borders – features drawn from Tibetan sculptures and supported by the imperial patronage that produced works of such refinement.
The star lot of Christie’s upcoming inaugural sale in Hong Kong
Adding to its significance, the sculpture was formerly part of the Pan-Asian Collection assembled by Christian Humann, a visionary collector whose holdings helped shape Western appreciation of South and Southeast Asian art in the mid-20th century. Works from this collection were widely exhibited, including a major presentation at LACMA in the 1970s, before entering the collections of prominent figures such as Robert H. Ellsworth.
While major institutions house important Yuan-period Buddhist bronzes, imperial gilt-bronze sculptures from the late 13th century remain exceptionally rare on the market, making this reappearance a notable opportunity for collectors and scholars alike.
A gilt-bronze seated figure of Manjushri Bodhisattva, dated 1305 | The Palace Museum, Beijing
The Hong Kong sale will inaugurate a new series of dedicated auctions under the leadership of Edward Wilkinson, Christie’s Global Head of Indian, Himalayan, and Southeast Asian Art. He will oversee focused sales in Hong Kong and London in 2025, alongside expanded offerings within existing auctions held in Paris and New York in 2026.
Other highlights from the Hong Kong sale include a gilt copper alloy figure of Manjushri, the bodhisattva of transcendent wisdom, dating to the late 12th or early 13th century. Estimated at HK$16 to 20 million, the sculpture reflects the importance of Manjushri in Tibetan Buddhist devotion, closely associated with the historic Shalu Monastery, a major center of art and scholarship in Tsang, Southern Tibet.
The sale also includes a rare group of works attributed to the celebrated artist The Tenth Karmapa, Chöying Dorje, led by a thangka of Parinirvana, from a series of the twelve deeds of the Buddha. This painting, believed to be the only surviving example from the set, shows the remarkable imagination of one of Tibet's most innovative artists.
A gilt copper alloy figure of Manjushri
Central Tibet, circa 12th century
Height: 39.4 cm
Esitimate: HK$16,000,000 - 20,00,000
Attributed to Chöying Dorje, 10th Karmapa | A thangka of Shakyamuni’s Parinirvana, distemper on silk
China, Yunnan Province, mid-17th century
62.3 x 42.2 cm
Estimate: HK$8,000,000 – 12,000,000