Page 80 - 2021 March 18 to 19th, Important Chinese Works of Art, Christie's New York City

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A MAGNIFICENT AND VERY RARE LARGE LACQUERED AND 清康熙 木漆金文殊菩薩坐像
GILT WOOD SEATED FIGURE OF MANJUSHRI 來源:
KANGXI PERIOD (1662-1722) The M. C. Hammonds 珍藏, 達拉斯, 德克薩斯州及巴登－巴登, 德國,
The bodhisattva sits in dhyanasana on a double-lotus base, holding aloft a 入藏於1930年代。
sword of wisdom in his raised right hand and a lotus stem in his left. He is The M. C. Hammonds 基金會, 瑞士, 1995年。
clad in a voluminous dhoti and adorned with sashes and jewelry. The face is
serene in expression and the hair is pulled into a high chignon secured by a
five-petaled crown and a small vajra.
The figure: 27Ω in. (70 cm.) high; overall height: 37 in. (94.1 cm.) high

$300,000-500,000
PROVENANCE:
The M. C. Hammonds Collection, Dallas, Texas and Baden-Baden,
Germany, acquired in the 1930s.
The M. C. Hammonds Foundation Inc., Switzerland, 1995.

Manjushri, the embodiment of the Perfection of Wisdom (Sanskrit:
Prajnaparamita), is shown here in his two-armed emanation, wielding
a sword (khadga) and gracefully grasping the stem of a blue lotus
(nilotpala) which rises and blooms at his left shoulder to support a
manuscript of the Prajnaparamita Sutra (pustaka). Displaying a fine
attention to detail in the treatment of the robes and jewelry, the figure is
characteristic of the finest quality of 17th-18th-century Buddhist figures.
Tibetan Buddhism was practiced at court in China beginning in the Yuan
dynasty (1279-1368). Before the start of the Yuan dynasty, Khublai Khan,
a then governor of the Mongol territory, summoned Karma Pakshi (b.
1204), the Second Karmapa, to his court. Throughout the Yuan and Ming
(1368-1644) dynasties, a karmapa, leader of the Kagyu school of Tibetan
Buddhism, was always present at court, performing sacred rituals and
serving as a spiritual advisor to the emperor. Anige, a Tibetan Buddhist,
was appointed supervisor-in-chief of all court artisans, beginning
a period of production of high-quality Buddhist court arts, which
continued into the Ming dynasty and reached an apex in the Yongle
period and continued throughout the Ming dynasty. The present figure
follows the tradition of the masterful and elegant Buddhist figures made
during this period.

Tibetan Buddhism remained important in the Qing dynasty (1644-1911),
as the Qing Manchus adopted Tibetan Buddhism, the religion of the
Yuan and Ming dynasties before them, in order to legitimize their rule
to their Han Chinese subjects. At the start of the dynasty, the court’s
connection to Tibetan Buddhism was solidified by the Kangxi Emperor’s
assumption of a protectorate over Tibet. Buddhist court arts surged,
particularly in the Kangxi, Yongzheng, and Qianlong reigns. The Qing
emperors portrayed themselves as bodhisattva-rulers, reincarnations
of Manjushri (the bodhisattva of Wisdom), signifying the importance of
Manjushri during this time. In doing so, they united the Tibetan view
Fig. 1 Gilt-bronze figure of Manjushri, Yongle mark and period (1403-1425).
Sold Christie’s New York, 19 March 2008, lot 400.
圖一 明永樂帶款鎏金銅文殊菩薩。紐約佳士得, 2008年3月19日,
拍品400號。