Page 30 - jingyatang sculptures march2018

LEFT
Illustration of the present lot in Shina ko bijutsu
taikan/Catalogue of a Collection of Chinese Art,
Yamanaka & Co., Osaka, 1924, cat. no. 120.
̸
͉྅ͪྡ׵˕ԟ̚ߕஔɽᝈ‘d
ʆʕਠึdɽԦd1924ϋdᇜ໮120

Richly carved with a vibrant scene of veneration, the present carving represents the phe- ᱙৮҈̰ᄷ׼喑㢷䛺ᄔহ喑㈸丫㍮㸴喑䰂䦬ݨް㇫㉝喑
nomenon of the emergence of stone steles as an important Buddhist sculptural medium ␬⏏᪙䕍㔲ሴ᠉Ƞᖚ㮁͸ᗲ喑А㶕㦄䕍׼ⶾᐼ҈䰂ౕ͚
within Chinese history. It stems from the dynamic growth of Buddhism in the 5th century,
స₤ट̷ܧ⤫͸ڥҸȡ䕆̭㶕⤫ᒏᐼ㌐䊤᫩ڙٰῤ
which saw the formation of Buddhist devotional societies throughout China. These groups
㈭喑͚స҈᪆Ⰸ㵹͸ࠏጟ㩇♣᜽䷕喑㜶స̷̸҈᪆ԎН
sparked a burst of creativity in the production of religious art as devotees fervently com-
౅倁⎔⤫喑ᐐა҈∂Ƞ๔㜵҈θ喑Ԏᒿ㉈㉈༁㽄䥘ᐧ҈
missioned steles to be made, as such acts of personal devotion or accumulation of merits
were linked to their future life. Subsequently, a variety of regional styles # ourished in the ⶾ喑ӈ๶ౕ֡喑͓㻃ₑ◧⽺઱㵹ᓤ͸㜶喑఍᳉䑗䔡喑В
6th century, distinct from that of famous monumental cave temple carvings. Ⅿҳ̓⺼൞喑᭜В⓭⮩γჄ᪆㬊㶀㸪҉͸ޢ䕍߈ȡ㎩㔹
㜠ڙٰښ̓㈭喑ౝ࡭ᕔჄ᪆㬊㶀㶕⤫ᒏᐼ⪝ᒖ㉈ॵ喑㨙
Since the 3rd century BC, the use of steles as symbolic monuments has endured through-
߰⚒⮩喑㜴Ⰸ๔ⷲ⹡͸ⴠ⿌䰂ݨ㬊㶀ᒏ᜽γ̺ह䷕ᵩȡ
out Chinese history. Initially utilized for commemorative purposes, these monuments ex-
tolled the political and philosophical values of the reigning party and were erected in public 㜗ڙٰݺ̶̓㈭䊤喑͚సӬጟ䪸໸ܧ⤫ⴠⶾנ㊞喑䖋㵺
spaces as emblems of a community’s identity and to foster societal unity. According to 䖋၄喑ᐣ㎹㜠Ϸȡ݊⩕В㶕䖁㈭ᔢᘼ㓖喑㎩҉⽞䴹ፊ⢸
Dorothy C. Wong in Chinese Steles. Pre-Buddhist and Buddhist Use of a Symbolic Form, Ho-
Ϯ⇨͸྿ϸ喑ₐస㊞喑㉽ℾᓰȡᵦᨇ⢸䲉㟙䀃䔝喑͚స
nolulu, 2004, p. 43, the origins of Buddhist steles can be traced to two events that occurred
҈ⶾ͸䊤⎽㜴ږԸ₤ट࣌఍ᰶ䬉ȡڣ̭喑ڙٰῤ㈭ᒹ
during the last two decades of the " fth century: the emergence of Buddhist devotional so-
㥶喑͚సܧ⤫γ҈᪆ԎН౅倁喑᭯䀯Ȫ䖾㓖ȫ喠ڣι喑
cieties and the " rst espousal of tablets for Buddhist use. These events are documented at
ₑ᭯᱌ⴠⶾ㷘䕸⩕᫩҈᪆⪣͚喑͓ᓄݝγԎ๶㔲͸᧮
the Buddhist cave temple sites, Yungang and Longmen (386-534).
䂤喠В̷ږ吋౴ज᫩䰟ᇎࣷ咺䪭ⴠ⿌͸⣺ႅ͚ឫݝⰥ䬉
Buddhist devotional groups played an important role in the development of regional reli-
ѽ䁶喑ࣰ㔰⢸䲉㟙喑Ȩ͚సⴠⶾ : ̭⽛䆎ᓢᒏᐼౕ҈᪆
gious art. During the Northern Wei dynasty, state-sponsorship of Buddhism enabled the
נڒ͸ݺ㜴͸ᒹ⮱䕸⩕ȩ喑ᾭ仆ᆞ喑2004Ꭱ喑䴮43ȡ
rapid spread of the religion throughout Northern China. Lay Buddhists organised them-
selves into voluntary groups and associated with local temples. These groups were among 㼭ࣷౝ࡭҈᪆㬊㶀⮩ᆂ喑䖾㓖͸҉⩕̺ᓄ̺䀯᪽♣ȡࡄ
the " rst to adopt stone tablets to record their faith, erecting ‘Buddhist steles that served as 偼᱌䫀喑㊞⇨㔲๔㜵҈Ⴅ喑Ҭڣౕ͚సࡄ᫦䓲䕌⮩ᆂȡ
monuments commemorating the collective groups’ religious, social, and territorial, iden- ह᭯喑ౕუԎⱫ䶅Ⱕឣᠮ喑㉽᜽౅倁喑㖜व⪣ౝᄧᐌ喑
tity’ (ibid.). By the 6th century, these groups became the chief patrons of steles, with a 㜵㸪ⶾⷐ喑䟅ݨ҈უ᪆㓖喑㈭ᔢ䯳倁Ԏ๶Ƞ⹫ᰰ䮻ᆑࣷ
smaller number sponsored by individual donors and families, such as the present piece.
ౝഌ䏘Ъ喍ܧ㮂ह̷喎ȡ㜠ښ̓㈭喑䖾㓖Ӭጟ᜽◧ᣕࠂ
The popularity of steles is attributable to the easy accessibility of the medium and its rela-
䕍׼ⶾ͸ͨ≮喑⻮ϧࣷუ᫼᡽䕍ݴ◧᫮ᩜ喑᱙৮ᆙ᫩ᒹ
tively small size. These two factors gave rise to a multitude of regional workshops, many
㔲ȡⴠ䈗ⶾ喑ःᱽ䱵Ӭ喑๔ᄼ䖖͚喑ᩲऄᣕሴ喑В㜡ౝ
of which developed their own style using the monumental cave temple carvings as a basis.
᫦҈ⶾ㸪҉౷䫀๔䛼㜵䊤喑ڣ͚㽞็В๔ಸⴠ⿌◧ധ
⸻喑㎩㔹⮩ᆂܧ㜗ጞ⢕➦䷕ᵩȡ
28 JINGYATANG: TREASURES OF CHINESE BUDDHIST SCULPTURE