Page 38 - jingyatang sculptures march2018

FAR LEFT NEAR LEFT
Illustration of the present lot Fig. 1 A stone carving of a
in Matsubara Saburō, Chūgoku bodhisattva, Northern Wei
Bukkyō hokiza shi kenkyū/ dynasty, Gongxian Grottoes,
Chinese Buddhist Sculpture. Gongxian. After: Henan Cultural
A study based on bronze and Relics Research Institute
stone statues other than works (Henan Province Cultural Relics
from cave temples, Tokyo, 1966, and Archaeological Research
pl. 165c. Institute), ed., Zhongguo shiku:
̸ɓ Gongxian shiku si [Chinese cave
͉྅ͪྡ׵ؒࡡɧࠛd temples. The cave temples
ʕ਷ϼ઺੺Ս̦޼ of Gongxian], Cultural Relics
Ӻjत㗫ږზϼʿ㗳 Publishing House, 1989, pl. 69.
ͩິி྅˸̮㗮ͩϼ㗫 ̸ɚ
㗤㗄㗦㗮ሞϽ‘d؇ ྡɓ̏ᕧ ͩᎉ㗮Բമᔜ
྅ ቩጤͩິ ቩጤ
ԯd1966ϋdྡو165c
̈ஈjئی޲˖ي޼
Ӻה€ତئی޲˖يϽ
̚޼Ӻ৫ᇜʕ਷ͩ
ິίቩጤͩິυ‘d
˖ي̈وٟd1989ϋd
ྡو69

The Northern Qi dynasty (550-577) was one of the most vibrant periods in the history of ㍞㻭͚స㬊㶀ट喑ࡄ呷᭯᱌♎䀃ౕჄ᪆Ƞ̓
Chinese art, both religious and secular, as its openness towards foreigners, their ideas, Ԅ᫦䲏喑౴ॵ⤫ܧ̭≫⅐䆎偞߰͸ᮜ䆎喑఍
beliefs and goods, immensely enriched the local cultural climate. Buddhist sculpture expe-
کღ͓㧱ใ᫼ࣷڣ᪴ࡃȠᕊᘠȠԎН㔹㜡᱙
rienced perhaps its most glorious moment in this period. While in the Northern Wei period
ౌ䷕䆹๔◧ٲ⯵ȡ҈᪆䕍׼͸䑊♹᜽ᅞౕₑ
(386-534), manners of depiction had only just been adapted from their south and central
̭᱊ज䀯⮨ም䕍Ảȡࡄ偼᭯᱌喑䕍׼᝸∂ᘌ
Asian prototypes, in the Northern Qi they had matured and developed into native styles.
Yet, they still emanate the seriousness of strong religious beliefs and had not yet moved ឬࢄϋȠ͚ϋヱᐼ喑᭯㜠ࡄ呷Ͱ㜨᜽⛌喑㜗
towards the pleasant and more decorative imagery of the Tang dynasty (618-907). The ᜽̭ᵩȡ♣䥾㻭ࡄ呷䕍׼喑Ϻ䶜㮁᪙㢷௡喑
present sculpture is one of the classic bodhisattva images of the period, when sculptors ᙵ䲉Ꭰহ喑ᅇ᱗㺸਽А䕍׼ᬻᔘȠ཭ཉ͸
were less interested in rendering the three-dimensional physical side of a deity " gure than ᙸȡ᱙ᄷ⿸׼ࢠ◧ࡄ呷㤖㫖䕍׼͸ڥヱ喠
in capturing its spiritual message through delicate facial features and gestures. ₑ᭯ࡍϧᄾВ⿸倁ឭ∂ॵ⤫҈༬ᰩໆ喑㔹ᰡ
Bodhisattva " gures of related type became popular through the patronage of the Northern ◧Շ䛺䲏䘕ࣷ᝸࢝͸㇫ᓛݨ⪘Вנ䖋ᄣⰥ㢷
Wei imperial family, who commissioned the carving of rock caves in Longmen and Gongx- ௡ȡ
th
ian, both in Henan province, in the " rst quarter of the 6 century, which typically show
Ⱕ䶋㤖㫖䕍׼఍ࡄ偼⢸ბӈ丷㔹ᐐ◧≮נȡ
seated or standing Buddhas % anked by two bodhisattvas. Besides these massive stone
ښ̓㈭݊㥶喑ࡄ偼⢸ბᓎБ䪸䦬咺䪭ⴠ⿌ࣷ
carvings in cave temples, many free-standing steles, also often with two such bodhisattva
䲼㍐ⴠ⿌喠ڣ͚ڥಸ䕍׼็㶕⤫◧ͨ҈׼ᝃ
" gures on either side of a central Buddha statue, were commissioned in that century, which
followed the artistic language introduced by these grand Buddhist cave sculpture projects, ౽ᝃ⿸喑䑁Вږᄷ㤖㫖㘲Һጓठȡ䮑ⴠ⿌ᄧ
which exerted an overwhelming in% uence on Chinese sculpture of the period in general. ᝭哂๔ಸⴠݨใ喑ڣ᭯᱌ओ㺸๔䛼䕍׼ⶾ喑
ऄⴠ⿌㬊㶀䷕ᵩᒞ䴬喑ϓ็҉ͨ҈ᅲ͚Ƞι
This majestic " gure of the bodhisattva Avalokitesvara from the Jingyatang collection
㤖㫖ऱҺ̭֡ȡ๔ಸⴠ⿌喑ጒ⼸⊖㍮喑⅐ࠏ
stands out because of its " ne, even facial features and the attention paid to its elegant,
decoratively stylized crown and garment with loose scarves and knotted ribbons. The low- ⷲ⹡喑᫩ह᭯А͸͚స䕍׼ᵩᅭᒞ䴬⌞䖍ȡ
relief carving style and almost complete disregard for the shape of the body under the gar- ᱙ᄷ㻭䴠䛾༬ᄣⰥ◧䲉䯲യ⣺㫼喑䲏ღ〜
ments is characteristic of the Northern Qi period. Although many features were introduced 叄喑ⰶⰛ㜿ᆂ喑ۍ丫ᖙ䯲喑㤜㶐ẇẇ喑ፁፈ
to Buddhist stone carving in the preceding Northern and Eastern Wei (534-550) periods,
ᄙ㋪喑㸆፣ϑ㉽喑⮳㇫ጒ㉝҉㔹䐩㓑ܧජȡ
stylistic variants would naturally have been introduced by locally working sculptors.
⌧⊛䰂͸ឭ∂Ƞ⩇ᄾ㦄෕㶐̸͸䏘ᒏ喑ₑ◧
ࡄ呷ڥಸ䷕ᵩȡمノ㽞็҈᪆ⴠ䰂䕍׼䷕ᵩ
᫩ࡄ偼ȠᲞ偼᭯᱌ጟ♣᜽ᒏ喑♣ऱౝጒࡍϓ
ᰰ㵺ѥܧऱ㜗➦ᰶ䷕ᵩȡ

36 JINGYATANG: TREASURES OF CHINESE BUDDHIST SCULPTURE