Page 120 - important chinese art mar 22 2018

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A LARGE GILT-LACQUER FIGURE OF
WENCHANG WANG
MING DYNASTY
well carved, seated with hands clasped in front of the chest,
the long robes draped in elegant folds and fanning out to either
side, the head gently bowed with a pensive expression, the
eyes outlined in black, long strands of black hair applied for the
beard and mustache, the tall cap carved in high relief with a
pair of dragons pursuing a ‘! aming pearl’ between a roiling sea
below and wisps of clouds above, wood stand (2)
Height 37 in., 94 cm
PROVENANCE
Gallerie Jacques Barrère, Paris, 1980s.
$ 20,000-30,000
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Gallerie Jacques Barrèredˋኇd1980ϋ˾

570
A LARGE GILT-LACQUER FIGURE OF DAMO
17TH / 18TH CENTURY
modeled seated in meditation, the gaze downcast and
569
accented with barbed brows, mustache, and beard, and by two
front teeth whimsically exposed, the ribbon-tied inner garment
and outer robes draped in numerous folds and pleats covering
the hands and body save the bare chest, with a pair of pointed
slippers independently carved accompanying the " gure (3)
Height 36½ in., 92.7 cm
PROVENANCE
Christie’s New York, 18th September 2003, lot 175, sold to
bene" t Florida Gulf Coast University.
Damo, also known as Bodhidharma, is largely credited with
transmitting Mahayana Buddhism to China from its westerly
neighbors. Accounts of his birthplace di+ er and include both
Central and South Asian places as possibilities. The present
" gure makes his foreignness in the Chinese tradition apparent
with his barbed remaining hair and facial hair. The separately
carved shoes reference the legend of his crossing the Yangtze
river while riding a reed barefoot, and the meditative posture
alludes to his reputation as a chan master.
$ 20,000-30,000
ɤɖ ɤɞ˰ߏ ˝ဒږᎉ༺ᅙѬ྅
Ը๕
ॲߒԳɻ੻2003ϋ9˜18˚dᇜ໮175dה੻࣏ၾНᖯԢ
༺ऎᝄऎ֦ɽኪ

570

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