Page 134 - Bonhams Olivier Collection Early Chinese Art November 2018

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A RARE CARVED WOOD HEAD OF GUANYIN
Yuan/ early Ming Dynasty
The face well carved with a serene meditative expression defined by
downcast eyes beneath arched brows, the full cheeks flanking a bud
mouth above a dimpled chin, the hair neatly arranged in an elaborate
chignon secured by a foliate crown with a gilt figure of Amitabha
Buddha at the centre seated on a lotus pedestal.
36cm (14 1/8in) high.
£50,000 - 80,000
CNY450,000 - 710,000

元/明早期 木雕觀音菩薩頭像

Provenance:
Sotheby’s London, 9 June 1987, lot 37
Gisèle Croës Arts D’Extreme Orient, Brussels, 1995
Jean-Yves Ollivier Collection

來源：
1987年6月9日於倫敦蘇富比拍賣，拍品37號
布魯塞爾古董商吉賽爾藝廊，1995年
歐宗易先生珍藏

The bodhisattva Guanyin, whose name in Sanskrit is Avalokiteshvara, 觀音髮髻高聳，頭戴化佛寶冠，開臉祥和，下顎略收，木胎之上尚餘
is an important figure in the Mahayana Buddhist tradition. Venerated 髹漆之灰底。
in Indian Buddhism as the embodiment of the Compassion of the
Buddha, the deity was incorporated into Chinese beliefs concerning 觀音菩薩，為大乘佛教四大菩薩之一。公元一至二世紀，觀音菩薩此
the rebirth in the Pure Land of Amithaba from at least the 1st-2nd 一形象逐漸融入中土信仰；而當七世紀淨土宗開始崛起之時，觀音菩
century AD. With the rise of the Pure Land School from the 7th 薩成為佛教主要神祗，受民間普遍敬仰崇拜。
century, the deity became one of the most prominent figures in the
Chinese Buddhist pantheon. In this context, Guanyin effected the 山西振國寺及雙林寺藏有相關的木雕觀音像，展示典型元/明初雕塑
spiritual rebirth of Buddhist devotees in ‘the blissful land’, the ideal 的輪廓，載於《Buddhist Sculpture of Shanxi Province （山西省佛教
atmosphere leading to peaceful nurturing and enlightenment. 塑像）》，香港，1991年，圖11、15、18、172至180。美國哥倫比
亞藝術博物館亦藏有一例，臉部呈典型鵝蛋形，而髮髻形狀亦有所雷
Beginning from the 12th century, the deity began to be associated 同。
with a female manifestation and became extremely popular as the
‘Goddess of Mercy’ in the succeeding centuries. Life-size wood figures 倫敦佳士得亦曾於2016年5月10日拍賣一件相關木雕觀音像，拍品25
of Guanyin, dating from the 10th to the 14th century, were typically 號。
made for Buddhist temples constructed in the areas of Taiyuan and
Wutai Shan, in Shanxi Province, the two pre-eminent centres of
Buddhist activity in China. These figures were often carved standing
as plinths, referencing Guanyin residing at Mount Potalaka on the
southern coast of India, an idea drawn from the ‘Flower Garland
Sutra’, which was introduced into China during the 5th century.

Related wood figures of Guanyin, displaying delicate facial features and
dating to the Yuan/ early Ming period, can be seen in the Zhenguo and
the Shuanglin Temples, in Shanxi Province, illustrated by The Research
Institute of the Buddhism Culture of China, Buddhist Sculpture of Shanxi
Province, Hong Kong, 1991, pls.11, 15, 18 and 172-180. A wood figure
of Guanyin, Ming dynasty, in the Columbia Museum of Art, Columbia,
displays a similar oval face and hair arrangement to the present head.

A wood figure of Guanyin with related facial features to the present lot
was sold at Christie’s London, 10 May 2016, lot 25.

For details of the charges payable in addition to the final Hammer Price of each Lot
130 | BONHAMS please refer to paragraphs 7 & 8 of the Notice to Bidders at the back of the catalogue.