Page 30 - Christie's Fine Chinese Paintings March 19 2019 Auction

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In excellent condition and amazingly complete—retaining its original head, Published in London already in 1978, this sculpture had been in the West
arms, body, legs, feet, and lotus-seedpod base—this sculpture dates to the at least twenty years before the discovery and excavation of the Qingzhou
Northern Qi period (AD 550–577). The sculpture’s majestic, columnar stature sculptures in 1996-97. Close as it is in appearance to those sculptures, this
is entirely in keeping with its Northern Qi date, as are the large hands, the impressive sculpture is not from that location, though the similarity in style
simple, clinging robe, and the treatment of the rounded chest, which lacks suggests that it might well have been produced in the same general area
both a division of the pectorals and a distinction between chest abdomen. as the Qingzhou sculptures, perhaps at another site in Shandong province
(The disproportionately large hands likely served to emphasize the mudra or a little farther to the west, in Hebei province. Even so, subtle features
and associated symbolism of teaching.) The unembellished cylindrical neck, diferentiate the present sculpture from those recovered at Qingzhou. The
which is typical of Northern Qi sculptures, stands in contrast to the feshy present sculpture has a shaven pate, for example, whereas most Qingzhou
necks with three strongly articulated folds that would appear during the Sui images of the Buddha have small snail-shell curls of hair; in addition, this
dynasty (AD 518–618) and then would become characteristic in sculptures Buddha’s face is rectangular, but those of the Qingzhou sculptures are
from the Tang dynasty (AD 618–907). The rectangular face with relatively slightly rounded (even if not as round and feshy as those of Tang sculptures).
small eyes set in shallow sockets, the large domical ushnisha, and the The hands of the Qingzhou Buddhas generally are in proper scale to the
depiction of the top of the head with shaven pate rather than with wavy locks bodies, rather than disproportionately large, and the fngers are more
or small snail-shell curls of hair also are all standard features of Buddhist delicately arrayed, occasionally with fngers slightly fexed. Nonetheless,
sculptures from the Northern Qi period. In addition, the elongated ears with the remarkable similarity in style and general appearance establishes this
distended but fat, unmodulated, unpierced lobes are characteristic of the sculpture’s Northern Qi date, demonstrates that one variant style lacked
Northern Qi style. Moreover, the placement of the arms close to the body, incised or carved drapery folds, and documents that some rare stone
with a lack of open space between arms and torso, is a standard feature of sculptures were embellished with applied gold.
Northern Qi sculptures, the interest in such piercing of the stone occurring in
the Sui and fourishing in the Tang. This majestic image represents a Buddha in the act of preaching, likely
the Historical Buddha Shakyamuni. Simply yet brilliantly composed, this
Although modest drapery folds, whether incised or carved in shallow relief, exquisite sculpture focuses attention on the Buddha’s face, with its serene
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enliven the robes of most Northern Qi stone sculptures of the Buddha, a few countenance and compassionate expression, and on his hands, with their
such sculptures—particularly ones excavated at the site of the Longxingsi preaching mudras. In perfect harmony, the elegant style and clear statement
Temple at Qingzhou, Shandong province—lack such folds, the robes clinging of purpose—the preaching of wisdom and compassion—combine to make
tightly to the fgure’s body and fowing gracefully from shoulders to ankles, this a great masterwork of Chinese Buddhist sculpture.
unimpeded by incised or carved folds. In the treatment of its drapery, the
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present sculpture shows a remarkable kinship to those from Qingzhou. As
amply demonstrated by the Qingzhou sculptures, however, such sculptures Robert D. Mowry
originally were fully painted or gilded—as in the case of the present Alan J. Dworsky Curator of Chinese Art Emeritus,
sculpture—so the stone surfaces in fact were embellished, even if not with Harvard Art Museums, and
incising or carving. Senior Consultant, Christie’s

1 For images of lotus bases similar to that on which this sculpture originally stood, see the related 4 For images of Northern Qi sculptures of the Buddha with carved drapery folds, see: Matsubara,
Northern Qi-period stone Standing Buddha in the collection of the Nezu Museum, Tokyo, Japan, and Chūgoku Bukkyō Chōkoku Shiron, vol. 2 Nanbokuchō kōki · Zui, pp. 493 and 495.
the related stone sculpture in the collection of the Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, Canada: Matsubara 5 See: Masterpieces of Buddhist Statuary from Qingzhou City (Beijing: National Museum of Chinese
Saburō, Chūgoku Bukkyō Chōkoku Shiron [The Path of Chinese Buddhist Sculpture], vol. 2 Nanbokuchō History / Beijing Chinasight Fine Arts Co., Ltd.), 1999, pp. 111, 114, and other sculptures illustrated
kōki · Zui [Later Northern and Southern Dynasties, Sui] (Tokyo: Yoshikawa Kobunkan), 1995, pp. 493 and throughout the book. Also see various sculptures illustrated in Lukas Nickel, ed., Return of the Buddha:
495.
The Qingzhou Discoveries (London: Royal Academy of Arts), 2002.
2 See https://www.mfa.org/collections/object/altarpiece-with-amitabha-and-attendants-45930
6 See: Eskenazi, Ancient Chinese Sculpture (London: Eskenazi Ltd.), 1978, p. 61, no. 19.
3 See: Rene-Yvon Lefebvre d’Argence et al., Chinese, Korean and Japanese Sculpture in the Avery
Brundage Collection, pp. 192-193, no. 92, no. B60 B8+.

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