Page 54 - Ming Porcelain Sothebys march 2018
P. 54

52  SOTHEBY’S NEW YORK 20 MARCH 2018  MING: LUMINOUS DAWN OF EMPIRE




























             The 100-syllable mantra of Vajradhara on the borders, each lotus ! ower
             containing a syllable, can be translated as follows:                   ࡥ̔ɪɨՇ၌ᔐږ࡝ᔜ⃡ϵο׼dɽจνɨj

             O  Vajrasattva! Preserve the bond!                                     ෟd˴యږ࡝ᔜ⃡lሗܩ੬̋ܵl
             As Vajrasattva stand before me.                                        ሗਗ਼ږ࡝ᔜ⃡ʘ͉ሯͪତʚҢf
                                                                                    ʚҢτ֛f
             Be " rm for me.
                                                                                    މҢ৷ጳf
             Be greatly pleased for me.
                                                                                    ԴҢᄣڗf
             Deeply nourish me.
                                                                                    ሗฉేฌᚐҢf
             Love me passionately.
                                                                                    ሮҢ෥တϓఱf
             Grant me siddhi in all things,                                         ᜫҢːഛďᅃࣿ௷f
             And in all actions make my mind most excellent.                        ᡈlൣൣൣൣ˦l˰యl
             Hu ! Ha ha ha ha ho! Blessed One!                                      ɓʲνԸږ࡝l୽વ૝Ңf
             Vajra of all the Tathagatas! Do not abandon me.                        ϓఱږ࡝ᔜ⃡ʘ؈Зlމ଺͛̋ܵ٫l
                                                                                    ڛᡈ֮f
             Be the vajra-bearer, Being of the Great Bond!
             A  hu  pha
                                                                                    ᝈϤږ࡝ᔜ⃡ʿН͎ᘒ޴dࠦ෥ᕘᄱdᘒڿശ
                                                                                    ུdמʌݴᘆdѬ׵ശᘆᇳࢭʘɪdޫމ͑ᆀ
             Characteristic of the Yongle period is the physiognomy of the " gures, with   ி྅तᅄfϾࡥ̔ༀ⟱ࠬࣸdۆၾՉࣛГᔛ೥
             their round faces and broad foreheads, along with the richness of the diadem   Ъ޴ЧfMichael  Henss  ࠑdϤᗳϘಂՐᔐe
                                                                                    Ᏻུʿᔌᎀdʧ˷׵ʔΝෂ୕ᖵஔᗳਜʘගd
             and jewels, the ! amboyant ! owing scarf and the ornate lotus-petal throne.
                                                                                    ࡡΪϞɚjՉуʔ᙮೥Ъᗳd͵ڢɓছᔌۜiՉ
             The format of this embroidery, however, with the ! ared fabric mounts, closely
                                                                                    ҦجԸ๕՟Іʕɺdᕚҿ࿴ྡۆ๕ІГᔛf€
             resembles Tibetan paintings of the period. According to Michael Henss,
                                                                                    ਞϽ”The  Woven  Image   Tibeto Chinese
             these early ‘pictorial embroideries, tapestries, and brocades fall in between
                                                                                    Textile  Thangkas  of  the  Yuan  and  Early
             established art historical domains in two ways: they cannot be classi" ed as   Ming  Dynasties•dOrientations‘d1997ϋ
             paintings, nor are they textiles in the usual sense; Chinese by technique and   11˜dࠫ26
             origin, but Tibetan by subject and composition (see ‘The Woven Image: Tibeto-
                                                                                    ͉ۜᒱೌڐԷা༱dࡈйʩ९ࠬࣸ޴ڐ٫d
             Chinese Textile Thangkas of the Yuan and Early Ming Dynasties’, Orientations,
                                                                                    ̙Ԉ׵Νಂࡥ̔fਞϽՇԷdᇳശ˓മᔜ྅d
             November 1997, p. 26).
                                                                                    ᇳࢭ޴ڐd̮ఖུɽ൥e๸㑩eᜳ๸eᅙ။ၾ࠭
                                                                                    ˂ଡ଼ϓʘਟښᖯdɪུࠒᅽᖯd࢝׵ᎀᔐᖯ
             Although no closely related examples appear to have been published,
                                                                                    В̷˂ʈ‘d࠰ಥᖵஔ᎜d1995ϋdᇜ໮28ʿ
             elements of the iconography represented in a similar style can be seen on
                                                                                    30f̤ϞՇԷdɽۨՐᔐdᗙུږ࡝ؔၾɧᘒd
             other thangkas attributed to the same period; see two examples depicting
                                                                                    ༱׵  Michael  Henssdۃࠑ̈ஈdྡ9ʿ10d
             Padmapani, seated on a similar lotus petal throne and stepped pedestal and   Ъ٫౤ʿdϤᗳ७ུᒻԈ׵1400ϋۃʘᔌۜ
             enclosed within a comparable mandorla comprised of elephants, gri#  ns, lions,   €ࠫ30f
             makharas, asparas and surmounted by a garuda, included in the exhibition
             Heaven’s Embroidered Cloths. One Thousand Years of Chinese Textiles, Hong
             Kong Museum of Art, Hong Kong, 1995, cat. nos 28 and 30. Compare also two
             massive silk-embroideries that also feature a vajra and triratna (‘three jewels’)
             border, published in Michael Henss, op. cit., " gs 9 and 10, where the author
             notes that this motif is rarely seen on textiles before 1400 (p. 30).
   49   50   51   52   53   54   55   56   57   58   59