Page 11 - jingyatang sculptures march2018

FOUR SCULPTURAL

MASTERPIECES OF

BUDDHIST ART

ऊ͵ҜɎۦ׵ġĀ˗ɫę̃ƥǟ

My ! rst visit, in perhaps 1997, to the apartment where the owner of the Jingyatang was ᜾݊⁎ݝ㽗䲉䯲യͨϧ⮱ᄀ᝭๔㈱᭜ౕ Ꭱ喑
gathering a growing holding of sculpture was an unforgettable experience. The rooms and ⪣᭯Ѓ⮱䰂׼ᩣ㫼䊷㺸㺼὎喑㊓᜾⪆̸γ⌞ݨ⮱࢝
passageways were crowded with stone ! gures, fragments and books making for a slightly
䆎ȡᄀ᝭ڔ⮱ᝬ䫀হ䊝᏷ᨧ␬ⴠ䰂Ƞ⃅׼হᰥㅺ喑
overwhelming sense of the family living among treasures, picking their way around ! gures
ͨϧᒤᒬౕ⣺ᄣㄴ᧮͸͚⩌≨ȡ㔹⪣᜾ں⁎䕍㽗͸
and over boxes as they lived their lives. Little did I realise on visiting his new home built
᭯喑ጟⰸݝയౕͨ䌊䰏㜷ᅲ̺䖍㮂⮱̭❴⾧ౝ̷ᐧ
on a large plot of land just over the road, how dramatic the transformation in the collec-
䕍γ᫝უ喑ₑᒹڣ⣺㫼̺䀃᭜ౕ㺼὎Вࣷᆂ⹧᫦䲏
tion and in its presentation would be. Not only is the home beautiful and elegant, but the
special storage space for the, by now signi! cantly enlarged, collection is both dramatic and ⮳ᰶγẢ๔⮱䑶䂷ȡ᫝ᅲ̺ײ㜿䖖ٗ䯲喑ᰡ◧ᩣ㈺
substantial. 㫼৮➦ݒᐧ䕍ٟႅ⾧䫀喑̭Ⱪ᱈ࣨ喑㩇♣ผ㻭ȡ
Focused on sculpture of the Buddhist religion and on ancient bronzes and pottery, the 䲉䯲യᩣ㫼В҈᪆䰂׼Ƞ倅ऑ䱿䞲ࣷ䮣க◧ͨȡ㫼
works, centred on a huge white marble ! gure of the seated Buddha from the Tang period, ბВ̭Ꮤጕಸ਽А⮪๔⤳ⴠ䰂҈౽׼◧͚ᓰ喑ఈ
are arranged in museum-like order in sequential galleries. Many are raised on custom-built 䕞఺㎋ڣЃக➖喑䮠݄᫦∂㜴ࢇ➖乕Ⱕѩ喑ڞܳ
plinths or placed in glass-fronted cabinets which gives a sense of religious awe alongside ᪥Ըᆂᐠȡ㽞็க➖⿸᫩ჇݣᏂᏔ̷喑ᝃౕ⣨⦰
that of a scholar’s ‘Aladdin’s cave’ of treasures. The collection is a marvellous testament to
䲏῰㸎喑⣺৮䰟䯳喑⡣ຯႥ㔲Ⱪ͚⮱Ȫ䭬៶̮㫼
the collector’s eye, passion and determination. The volume of the works on show and con-
ᄣ≋ȫ喑ह᭯ࣵ䯞䱟ܧ̭⽛Ⴤ᪆⮱⺋㖃㜴㢷௡ȡ䲉
straints of space makes a rationalisation eminently sensible and in this catalogue selection
䯲യ⣺㫼Ⴙ㒻ᆂ⤫γയͨ⮱⢕ݝⱩٶ喑Вࣷ␬㚁⮱
is the fruit of that careful consideration.
⛞ᔞ㜴↧ᓰȡ㫼৮⮱㺼὎হ⾧䫀⮱㽚㼵䘪ᖝݝສ
We see the remarkable devotional images in several formats from free-standing ! gure to a 㮂喑㮂㮂倁⤫ܧയͨ⮱⮫㝙⩕ᓰȡ㔹᱙⁎ృ䠱͚⮱
smaller but exquisite Stele and from a magni! cent large head of Buddha to an exceptionally
ఈУ䕍׼ᰡ᭜ڣ͚㇫⨱͸৮ȡ
rare fragment of wall-carving. The materials used ranges from glorious crystalline ‘Yellow
Flower Stone’ (Huanghuashi) to ! ne dark and brooding sedimentary rock. The great early 䕆ψࢀ䊷⮱Ⴤ᪆ᒏ䆎䕇䕻̺हᒏᐼᆂ⤫ܧҳ喑ᓋ⢕
periods of devotional Buddhist art are represented from Northern and Eastern Wei, through ⿸䰂׼ݝᒏ倁䐰ᄼѳ䰂ጒ㇫㌨⮱ⴠⶾȠᓋ䯱ն⮱҈
th
the Northern Qi to the Sui dynasty encapsulating virtually the entire 6 century. 仃׼ݝẢڣ㒂㺸⮱෮䰂⃅䘕ȡ᝭㺸ᱽ䈗⋢᠙㇫㒻⮱
In formulating this impressive collection, each piece has been carefully chosen for its 台㟞ⴠࣷ⌞↶㉝㛖⮱ⴠ▝ⴠȡА㶕ᎡА࠲᠙ࡄ偼Ƞ
quality, rarity and long and distinguished history. The four pieces represented here hailing Პ偼Ƞࡄ呷ࣷ䮸喑䌕䊷᪡Ըښ̓㈭ȡ
from such celebrated and storied sources as the Collection of Fujii Zensuke, founder of
യౕͨᐧ⿸䲉䯲യᩣ㫼͸᭯喑⃼У⣺➖⮱᧴䖥䘪㋀
the Yurinkan Museum, Kyoto; Yamanaka and co., Osaka, purveyors of many of the greatest
䕻⌞ᕊ⛌᚛喑ฺࣺᣕ᪟喑ڣ৮䈗Ƞ⼭ᰶᕔȠВࣷ₤
th
Chinese art in the earlier part of the 20 century; and from the collection of J.T. Tai (Tai Jun
ट⌢⎽䘪ౕ㔰䛼͸͚ȡ᱙⁎᝭ॵ⮱ఈУ⣺৮ҳ⎽Ԟ
Tse), the doyen of the dealers in mid-century America.
Ҡ喑ᓋⴒऺ⮱๔䭗ᆞ͚ੳᰰ喑ݝ̷̓㈭͚݊స㬊㶀
Henry Howard-Sneyd ৮ᩣ㫼๔უȠϙ䘪ᰶ䙝乕ޢ໸ϧ㬑ς઱ߖ⮱⻮ϧᩣ
Chairman, Asian Art,
㫼喑ںݝ㒻స̷̓㈭͚㥶ऺ᱈Ả倅⮱ऑ㦐ੳᝡ⒑呸
Europe and Americas
⮱⻮ϧᩣ㫼喑㦄䠱⌲ᮝ喑≮נᰶᎼȡ
थᒿ⇠ն
ͨፚ ϋ≟㬊㶀
⁽≟ࣷ㒻≟

SOTHEBY’S 9