Page 70 - Christies Alsdorf Collection Part 1 Sept 24 2020 NYC

崇聖御寶 - 詹姆斯及瑪麗蓮 ·阿爾斯多夫珍藏

from the third to the sixth century. After achieving the is looking downward and into the eyes of worshippers as
reunification of much of China by AD 581, the two he receives their prayers and supplications.
emperors of the Sui dynasty (AD 518–618), both devout
Buddhists, made Buddhism a state religion. Many This Buddha’s face is far more sensitively modeled, and
temples were constructed during the Sui dynasty and thus less mask-like, than those of earlier sculptures of the
numerous stone sculptures were carved, some of them Buddha, and the ushnisha is proportionally smaller than
of considerable height. Begun during the second half of the large, domical usnhishas of many Eastern Wei and
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the sixth century, during the Northern Qi period, the Northern Qi sculptures. In addition, the arrangement of
production of large-scale, free-standing, stone sculptures the hair in stylized waves, perhaps inspired by the wavy
continued with increasing frequency in the Sui. Indeed, locks of hair evident in many second-to-fourth-century
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the previously mentioned Standing Amitabha Buddha Buddhas from ancient Gandhara, differs from the usual
in the collection of the British Museum (Fig. 1), which Northern Qi presentation of the Buddha shown either
is dated by inscription to AD 585, stands 5.78 meters with a shaven pate or with small, snail-shell curls of
in height, or nearly 19 feet tall. Three roughly hair. Though rare, a few Northern Qi sculptures of the
contemporaneous examples in U.S. collections include Buddha sport hair arranged in wavy locks, including
the large, sandstone sculpture of a Standing Bodhisattva the majestic Seated Buddha on a stele illustrated in
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in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Matsubara Saburo’s invaluable compendium on Chinese
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New York, that dates to approximately AD 550–560 Buddhist sculpture, the exquisite white marble Buddha
and that stands 4.2 meters in height (13 ft. 9 in.); the head in the collection of the Harvard Art Museums,
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large, black marble sculpture of a Standing Bodhisattva in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and the Northern Qi-to-Sui
the Minneapolis Institute of Arts that is dated to AD 571 gilt-bronze Standing Buddha also in the collection of the
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and that rises 1.9 meters in height (6 ft. 4 in.); and the Harvard Art Museums; even so, the arrangement of the
grey limestone Standing Bodhisattva Guanyin in the Buddha’s hair in wavy locks, sometimes with a whirl at
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston that dates to roughly the front, just above the forehead, would not become
AD 580 and that stands 2.5 meters tall (8 ft. 3 in.). 6 typical until the Tang, as witnessed by the early eighth-
century Seated Buddha from Cave 21 at Tianlongshan,
Though relatively short-lived—indeed, it lasted fewer near Taiyuan, and now in the collection of the Harvard
than forty years—the Sui dynasty nevertheless gave Art Museums and by the famous, early eighth-century,
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rise to a distinct style of Buddhist sculpture, just as gilt bronze representation of the Buddha Vairocana in
it also bridged the transition from the Northern Qi the Metropolitan Museum, New York. 14
(AD 550–577) style to the Tang (AD 618–907). The
long, narrow, rectangular face signals the present head’s Closest in style to the present marble head are those
descent from late Northern Wei (AD 386–535) and previously mentioned Sui-dynasty sculptures of the
Northern Qi sculptures, just as the fleshy cheeks, small Buddha in the Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, and
bow-shaped mouth with full, “bee-stung” lower lip, in the British Museum, London, the British Museum
pronounced dimples on either side of the mouth, and sculpture dated by inscription to AD 585—i.e., to the
prominent philtrum—i.e., the vertical indentation fifth year of the Kaihuang era, during the reign of the
stretching from the bottom of the nose to the top of Sui Emperor Wendi (AD 541–604; r. AD 581–604).
the upper lip—link this sculpture to its Northern Qi Although differing in subject matter and thus in
forebears. By contrast, the large, bulging, downcast eyes iconographic features, the face of a large, Sui-dynasty,
set under heavy lids, within deep sockets, and under marble sculpture representing a Standing Bodhisattva
brows created by the sharp intersection of eye socket and Guanyin and now in the collection of the Tokyo
forehead planes differ markedly from the small, outward- National Museum (Fig. 2) shows close stylistic kinship
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looking, almond-shaped eyes set in shallow sockets that to the present sculpture. Like the British Museum
are characteristic of Northern Wei, Eastern Wei (AD Buddha, the Tokyo National Museum bodhisattva is
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534–550), and many Northern Qi sculptures. The dated by inscription to AD 585—to the fifth year of
downcast eyes suggest an attitude of contemplation and the Kaihuang era—suggesting a possible date for the
introspection; at the same time, as the sculpture would present sculpture. Although their places of origin remain
have been placed with the head well above those of the unknown, these sculptures probably came from Hebei or
worshippers, the downcast eyes indicate that the Buddha Shanxi province.

68 PART I