Page 192 - Christie's Hong Kong November 29, 2022 Fine Chinese Works of Art

3019 Continued

Maitreya, Buddha of the Future Age, governs two perfected worlds:
Tusita Heaven, which he currently inhabits, and Ketumati, an ideal realm
conducive to the pursuit of enlightenment where he will serve as the
teaching Buddha. The Meitreya's hand gestures held in abhaya and varada
mudras, embodied a message of the coming salvation of all sentient
beings.
One of the most interesting iconographic features of the present figure
is the formulaic rendering of the U-shaped folds of the robe which is
known as Udayana, an ancient name for the early Gandharan region now
in the present-day Swat Valley, Pakistan, from which similarly robed
images of Maitreya first originated. This distinctive style of dress had
been transmitted along the Silk Road to China, and appeared as early as
the fourth century as exemplified by the gilt-bronze seated Sakyamuni
from Asian Art of San Francisco, illustrated by H. Munsterberg, Chinese
Buddhist Bronzes, New York, 1988, p. 37, fig. 1, which bears an inscription
dated to AD338. This stylised undulation of the robes continued into the
5th century, cf. a gilt-bronze seated Sakyamuni, from the Nelson Gallery of
Art, Kansas City, and another similar figure from the collection of Mr Ivan
Hart, New York, illustrated ibid., figs. 2 and 4 respectively.
After the 5th century, Chinese Buddhist images in both facial features and
style of clothing began to deviate from their Indian models. By the early
Ming period, motivated by Emperor Yongle's devotion to Buddhism, this
iconographic dress style was briefly revived and re-interpreted. In keeping
with the style of the Yongle period, the present figure is fleshed-out with
broad shoulders; the casting of the robe is extraordinary thin so that the
thighs are prominent beside the cascading folds of the sleeves.
The most comparable example to the present figure was sold at Sotheby's
Hong Kong, Visions of Enlightenment- The Speelman collection of
Important Early Ming Buddhist Bronzes, 7 October 2006, lot 803. The
Speelman figure is slightly larger at 19 cm. high; and stands on a similarly
cast lotus base, although it is circular in cross-section rather than oval as
in this instance.

佛像肉髻螺發，面頰豐滿，雙耳垂肩，眉眼細長，眉間有白毫，鼻樑高挺，唇
形秀美，神情祥和，面貌端莊。身穿通肩大袍，圓領衣褶自兩肩向胸前下垂，
衣褶呈圓弧狀，重疊繁密，稜條凸起，下襬過膝垂落，豐圓的雙腿曲線隱約
可見，有飄動感。雙手在層疊的衣襬外作施無畏、願手印，五指粗壯有力，刻
劃細膩，赤足立於覆蓮座上。覆蓮座面前邊刻「大明永樂年施」款。

彌勒佛又叫未來佛，繼釋迦牟尼佛的補儲，將來當於住劫中的第十小劫，人
壽減至八萬歲時，下生此界，繼釋迦牟尼佛之後，為賢劫之第五尊佛。

佛像起源於古印度西北部的犍陀羅地區，今巴基斯坦西北部。此佛像身上所
穿的密褶長袍，被稱為優填王式袍，正源自犍陀羅地區的佛像造型。在文獻
中最早的記載是在十六國符秦時期出現彌勒造像，早期的造像，多以印度彌
勒為原型，身材修長，穿菩薩裝，頭戴寶冠，有些身戴瓔珞等飾物。到北魏彌
勒造型定型，主要有兩種：一為菩薩裝，頭戴寶冠，坐姿為交腳式，呈說法相
或思維相；另一為佛裝，頭梳髮髻，多為站姿式或交腳坐姿，施轉法輪印或
無畏印。這兩種彌勒造像在相當長的一段時間內，是彌勒造像的主要形式。

公元前五世紀，佛教源起於印度北部，經絲綢之路傳入中國。以後，中國佛造
像開始融合和中國的文化藝術與內涵，開始創造出不同的風貌與風格，特別
在面相和衣飾方面有別與原形。明朝初期，永樂帝篤信佛教，內府佛像鑄造
嚴謹，精細。此尊佛像之造型帶典型的永樂特色，但其寬闊的肩膀及通肩大
袍，具彌勒造像之原型。
香港蘇富比在2006年10月7日《佛華普照- Speelman 重要明初鎏金銅佛收
藏》專場拍出了一件尺寸較大但衣飾、造型均與此佛像一樣的彌勒佛立像，
唯蓮座較圓。見拍品803號。