Page 60 - Ming Porcelain Sothebys march 2018
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58  SOTHEBY’S NEW YORK 20 MARCH 2018  MING: LUMINOUS DAWN OF EMPIRE



































             The " gure’s carefully rendered hands are held in dharmachakra mudra,
             the ‘Wheel of Dharma’. This mudra symbolizes one of the most important   ͉ۜ˖ࣿമᔜ˓ഐᔷجቃΙdϤ˓Ι൥ᅄНښ
             moments in the life of the Buddha: the occasion when he preached to his   ڋᔷجቃd׵௤௉߹කစ͍جd઼ࠔ଺͛dɗ
             companions the " rst sermon after his Enlightenment in the Deer Park at   Нښɓ͛ЇᗫࠠࠅࣛՍf̛˓ʕe࠮e҈ɧܸಃ
             Sarnath. The three extended " ngers of the right hand represent the three   ɪdʱй˾ڌᑊၲ࠱eᇝᙂ࠱ၾമᔜ࠱d̸˓Ф
                                                                                    ࢝ɧܸd൥ᅄНeجeཾɧᘒfᕐ˓ܵᇳ୻dՇٲ
             vehicles of the Buddha’s teachings, namely the ‘hearers’ of the teachings
                                                                                    ࣙ΢කᇳڀɓϢdᇳڀɪ΢ໄᅆᄏၾছ߰຾d
             through the middle " nger; the ‘solitary realizers’ through the fourth " nger, and
                                                                                    Շ٫Υɓ൥ᅄ̘ৰຎงθׂdҪ౥ॆଣd༺Ї
             the Mahayana, or ‘Great Vehicle’ through the little " nger. The three extended
                                                                                    ෥တ౽ᅆf
             " ngers of the left hand symbolize the Three Jewels of Buddhism: the Buddha,
             the Dharma, and the Sangha. Stalks of lotus ! owers emanate from his hands,   ˢ༰ɓЪԷdˉʂၾ͉ۜ޴ڐd၌Ѭ׵ᇳࢭd
             from which rest the symbols of Manjushri, the sword (khadga), which has   ᇳᖙࡌڗdᅆᄏၾছ߰຾ॹ̰dਯ׵ࡐ౱ᘽ
                                                                                    బˢ2014ϋ11˜5˚dᇜ໮41f̤ϞɓڐԷdˉ
             been heavily stylized and abbreviated, and the book (the Prajnaparamita).
                                                                                    ʂ೹ɽdிۨʿجኜၾ͉ۜ޴Чdֵࢭᇳᖙ༰
             Together they symbolize the highest knowledge that is reached by overcoming
                                                                                    ᄱd࢝׵Lamaistic  Art   Societe  Generale
             ignorance and studying the highest book of wisdom.
                                                                                    de  Banque‘d̺ኁ෦ဧdᇜ໮19dਯ׵ࡐ౱Գ
                                                                                    ɻ੻1985ϋ4˜16˚dᇜ໮300f࠰ಥԳɻ੻
             A related " gure of Manjushri of similar size and seated on a base with
                                                                                    2014ϋ11˜26˚̤ਯɓԷdᇜ໮3106fΎˢɓ
             elongated lotus petals, but lacking the attributes, was sold in our London
                                                                                    Էdٜߠிۨd̈ІJ P H Y ϗᔛdྡԈ  Ulrich
             rooms, 5th November 2014, lot 41. Compare a larger " gure of closely related   von  SchroederdIndo Tibetan  Bronzes‘d
             form and attributes, but rendered with broader lotus petals on the base,   ࠰ಥd1981ϋdྡو144Ffᘱ͑ᆀʘܝd܁ᅃɓಃ
             included in the exhibition Lamaistic Art, Société Generale de Banque, Brussels,   ͵Ԉ޴ڐЪԷdՉʕɓ΁੭܁ᅃϋಛி྅ಀ࢝׵
             cat. no. 19, sold at Christie’s London, 16th April 1985, lot 300; and another   On  The  Path  to  Enlightenment‘dMuseum
             sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 26th November 2014, lot 3106. A related " gure,   Rietbergdᘽኇ˰d1995ϋdᇜ໮68f
             but cast without the gentle sway in the back, from the J.P.H.Y. collection, is
             illustrated in Ulrich von Schroeder, Indo-Tibetan Bronzes, Hong Kong, 1981, pl.
             144F. Figures of this type were also created in the succeeding Xuande reign;
             see one, with a Xuande mark and of the period, included in the exhibition On
             The Path to Enlightenment, Museum Rietberg, Zurich, 1995, cat. no. 68.
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