Page 28 - Bonhams FINE CHINESE ART London November 2 2021

An English Private Collection

of Rare Chinese Textiles

Lots 220 - 227

THE PROPERTY OF A GENTLEMAN 紳士藏品
Lots 220 - 227
220
A RARE BLUE SILK LAMPAS ‘FIVE DHYANI BUDDHAS’ PANEL Finely woven in a technique known as ‘lampas’, the present panel
10th-13th century presents a finely-embellished surface of gilded paper patterns wrapped
The panel finely woven in gold thread with four rows, each executed around a silk core, against a midnight-blue ground.
in repeat pattern with designs of the Five Dhyani Buddhas, from
left to right, Akshobhya, Ratnasambhava, Vairocana, Amitabha Aksobhya, Amitabha, Amoghasiddhi, Ratnasaṃbhava, and Vairocana
and Amoghasiddhi, each figure seated cross-legged on a lotus are the five Dhyani Buddhas worshipped in Mahayana Buddhism.
padma base, the hands held in appropriate mudras, except for They are viewed in tantric meditation and are found in Buddhist
Ratnasambhava, where the hands repeat the gesture of Akshobhya, iconography. Each of these Buddhas represents a different aspect
all on a blue background decorated with curling leaves before a floral of the enlightened consciousness to help in spiritual transformation.
border to the sides, mounted. They signify the core mandala in ourselves including our environment
43cm (17in) wide x 28.5cm (11 2/8in) high. and the cosmos. In addition, they represent the five types of human
personality and exemplify the perfect form of the personality types.
£8,000 - 12,000
CNY71,000 - 110,000 Akshobhya is a heavenly Buddha who rules over the Eastern paradise,
Abhirati. The individuals who satisfy Akshobhya’s promise are renewed
十至十三世紀 五方佛紋藍地織金錦 in Abhirati and will not fall again into the lower state of consciousness.
Akshobhya holds a vajra in his left hand which symbolises shunyata
Provenance: Jacqueline Simcox Ltd., London or an absolute reality that both animate and inanimate things are
An English private collection unmanifested. Amitabha Buddha is the focus of Pure Land Buddhism,
which is one of the largest schools of Mahayana Buddhism in Asia.
來源：倫敦古董商Jacqueline Simcox Ltd. Amitabha signifies mercy and wisdom and is often portrayed with
英國私人收藏 his hands in meditation pose, his fingers barely touching and gently
folded over the lap with palms facing upwards. Amoghasiddhi
Buddha represents the achievement of all activity. His name signifies
‘Infallible Success’. He reigns in the North and he is usually portrayed
in Buddhist iconography as transmitting a green light, which is the
view of finishing knowledge and advancing peace. His hand motion
is the mudra of courage, with his right hand placed in front of his
chest and palm in an outward direction as though to state ‘stop’.
Ratnasambhava Buddha symbolises wealth. His name means ‘Source
of Jewel’ or the ‘Gem Born One’ and he holds his hands in the
desire-satisfying mudra, with his right hand facing down and the palm
outward and his left in the meditation mudra symbolising generosity.
Finally, Vairocana Buddha is believed to be the exemplification of all
the Dhyani Buddhas, including everything and everywhere, ubiquitous
and omniscient. His hand gesture in the Dharmachakra mudra signifies
the turning of the wheel and places the hands in such a way that the
thumbs and forefingers touch at the tips to form a wheel.

Compare with a similar but larger blue-ground silk ‘lampas’ ‘Five
Dhyani Buddhas’ panel, 10th-13th century, in the Guimet Museum,
Paris, illustrated by Jacqueline Simcox Ltd., Chinese Textiles and
Works of Art, London, 2005, p.13. See also a similar ‘lampas’ panel
depicting six rows of ‘Five Dhyani Buddhas’, 10th-13th century,
illustrated by Spink & Sons Ltd., The Art of Textiles, London, 1989,
Image courtesy of the Musée National no.18.
des Arts Asiatiques - Guimet, Paris

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