Page 63 - Chinese Works of Art and Buddhist sculpture, June 18, 2018 Galerie Zacke

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AN EXTREMELY RARE 17 CENTURY RHINOCEROS 㤝䇚份夳䘬⋩ᶫᶾ䲨䈨䈃奺晽䵈⹎㭵
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HORN CARVING OF A GREEN TARA 㬌㉵⑩㚦塓㓞抬᷎↢䇰Ḷ Jan Chapman,˪ᷕ⚳䈨䈃奺晽⇣
This lot is published and Illustrated in Jan Chapman, 喅埻˫ The Art of Rhinoceros Horn Carving in China炻ΐ
The Art of Rhinoceros Horn Carving in China, 㔎炻 1999,.275枩, ⚾397 (⑩䚠㛒嬲)
London, 1999, p.275, pl.397 (in original condition) 䈨䈃奺㶙墸刚军⋲德㖶㡽刚炻㚱䲭刚柼㕁㭀检
Rhinoceros horn in a deep brown to maroon colored hue 㻊啷-╄楔㉱晭⛘⋨炻⋩ᶫᶾ䲨
of opaque quality. Remnants of red pigment
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Sino-Tibetan - Himalayan region, 17 century 忁ẞ䓙䈨䈃奺晽⇣侴ㆸ慵天ἃ㔁晽⟹㗗䎦⬀䘬ℑᾳ⶚䞍ἳ
⫸ᷳᶨˤ⬫䘤㸸冯╄楔㉱晭⛘⋨炻偗⭂㚦Ἦ冒ᷕ⚳䘬届⑩炻䈨
This important Buddhist sculpture, carved from rhinoceros 䈃奺㛔幓䘬䦨仢⿏␴₡ῤ㬋⤥㘿䣢Ḯ忁ᾳ⍇⚈ˤ㬌㉵⑩㇨
horn, is one of only two known examples still existent. ⇣䔓䘬⤛䤆䵈⹎㭵炻⛐⯤㱲䇦␴大啷炻ḇẍ戭挷慹⼊⺷炻⍿
It originates from the Himalayan region and was most ℞徥晐侭ⲯ㊄ˤ
certainly a Chinese commission, as the rareness and value
of the material suggests so. The present lot depicts the ⶽ㉱桐㟤晽⇣炻ἑ㇜Ḽ叱⭅⟼⺷⣜ⅈ␴䎈⮞椾梦炻䵈⹎㭵⛸
female goddess Green Tara, worshipped by followers in ⛐咖剙⮞⹏ᶲ炻⎛僂䚀崟炻ⶎ僂嶷↢炻ᶳ㚱ẘ博炻⤪⹎博⹏ˤ
Nepal and Tibet and displays the same form and decoration 桬ⷞ冯咖剙⊭⚵␐幓炻⯽䣢叿䱦伶䘬掌䨢晽⇣ˤ⎛ㇳ㊩咖匾
as gilt-bronze figures of the Goddess from the region. 乻宜㱽⌘炻ⶎㇳᶳ✪乻Ḷョ⌘ˤ

Carved in Pala style, with a five-leaf tiara crown and 䩳橼䈨奺晽⇣⛐╄楔㉱晭⛘⋨㗗㤝℞份夳䘬炻⚈䇚㛸㕁䘬
beaded jewelry, Tara is seated in Lalitasana on a double 䦨仢ˤ㔯䌣姀庱䫔⋩ᶾ⣏⮞㱽䌳炻⋻䐒⣂‹炷1604-1674⸜炸
lotus base with her left foot resting on a lotus bloom 㚦㚱忶栆Ụἄ⑩炻⋻䐒⣂‹㗗叿⎵䘬啷⁛ἃ㔁☞䍃☞ᷦ㳦
issuing from the base. Heavenly bands and lotus flowers ⣏ⷓ炻ḇ㗗叿⎵䘬丒䔓ˣ䱦䤆⨺ṳẍ⍲晽⇣喅埻⭞ˤ
are framing the figure and showcase fine openwork
carving. In both her hands we see the stems of the lotus 晐⼊侴晽
flowers and they are held in Vitarka Mudra. ⯢⮠烉檀9,2 cm炻㚨⮔↎ 6,8 cm
⑩䚠列⤥炻⯨悐仢⣙炻⎛ㇳˣⶎ“咖剙␴桬ⷞ㚦塓⮰㤕ᾖ⽑
Although three-dimensional figure carvings in rhinoceros 忶ˤ㬌奺晽㚦塓⬴㔜㓞抬忶炻⬴ℐ⎗ẍ㞍娊ˤ⛐Chapman㚠
horn from the Himalayan regions are rare due to ᷕ㇨㍷徘䘬ảỽ䳘䭨悥㰺㚱塓䮉㓡忶ˤ
the scarce availability of the material there, there is 㱽⚳⶜湶Gerald Levy䥩Ṣ㓞啷
documentation of such carvings being made by the
10th Karmapa, Chöying Dorje (1604-1674), who was a 㔯䌣⍫侫烉⎎⢾ℑẞ⋩ᶫᶾ䲨䈨奺晽ἃ㔁厑啑⬴㔜晽⁷⎗
famous teacher of the Karma Kagyu tradition of Tibetan 夳喯⭴㭼˪㯜㜦䞛Ⱉ㇧啷䍵䍑⮰⟜—₺晭㶭喲˫2010⸜10
Buddhism and well known as an artist in the mediums of 㚰8㖍炻楁㷗炻2199嘇㉵⑩ẍ⍲喯⭴㭼˪ᷕ⚳䱦伶昞䒟␴ⶍ
painting, metal casting and carving. 喅⑩˫炻2006⸜4㚰10㖍炻楁㷗炻1634嘇㉵⑩ˤ

Shape: Figural shape Estimate EUR 15.000,-
Dimensions: 9,2 cm (height), 6,8 cm (maximum width) Starting price EUR 7.500,-
Condition: Good condition with missing right hand, left
lotus and bands professionally restored. The work is fully
documented and completely reversible. Nothing of the
original statue, as published in the Chapman book, has
been tampered with.
Provenance: Gerald Levy Collection, Paris

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Literature comparison: For two other full figural, 17
century rhinoceros horn carvings of Buddhist deities
see Sotheby’s, WATER, PINE AND STONE RETREAT
COLLECTION - SCHOLARLY ART, 08 OCTOBER 2010,
HONG KONG, lot 2199 and Sotheby’s, FINE CHINESE
CERAMICS AND WORKS OF ART, 10 APRIL 2006, HONG
KONG, lot 1634.

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