Page 396 - Chinese Works of Art Chritie's Mar. 22-23 2018

PROPERTY FROM A PRIVATE COLLECTION
1041
A RARE GILT-LACQUERED WOOD FIGURE OF BUDDHA ENTHRONED
17TH-18TH CENTURY
Shakyamuni sits in dhyanasana on a double-lotus base atop a rectangular throne centered with the faming
triratna motif and fanked by Buddhist lions. He holds his hands in bhumisparshamudra, the earth-touching
gesture, and is clad in voluminous robes. The face is serene in expression, and the hair is in tight curls over
the ushnisha. The fgure is backed by an elaborate faming aureole with images of lions, mounted fgures,
and makaras, all surmounted by a Garuda with serpents emanating from his mouth.
30º in. (76.8 cm.) high
$150,000-200,000

PROVENANCE
Private collection, United States.
十七/十八世紀 金漆木雕釋迦牟尼佛坐像

Stylistically, the present work can be related to a corpus of Buddhist gilt-lacquer sculpture
commissioned during the reigns of the Kangxi and Qianlong Emperors at the Buddhist site of Rehol,
near Chengde in Hebei province. Early in his reign, Kangxi understood the necessity for strong relations
with the various Mongol tribes from the expansive steppes to the north and west of the capitol. One way
in which he developed close bonds with the Mongol chieftains was to invite them on hunting excursions
on an almost yearly basis. Rehol started as temporary hunting site, and was chosen for its strategic
location at Chengde, north of Beijing, and for its idyllic beauty. It also boasted a massive phallus-shaped
rock, known as Qingchui, that was likened to Mount Sumeru, the Buddhist axis mundi. As the Mongols
were fervent followers of Tibetan-style Buddhism, Kangxi ordered the construction of various Tibetan-
style Buddhist temples ordered around the axis of Qingchui. Under the reign of his grandson, the
Qianlong Emperor, the site was expanded massively, with the layout of the site mirroring the Buddhist
cosmology of a mandala. Qianlong even ordered the construction of the Putuo Zongcheng, a replica of
the Potala Palace in Lhasa, complete with a façade with simulated painted windows, and the Puning
Temple, a copy of the ancient Samye Monastery in Tibet.

The central focus of worship for many of these temples were massive gilt-lacquered sculptures,
including the 22-meter-high fgure of Thousand-Armed Avalokiteshvara at the Puning Temple. Most
similar to the present work are three massive fgures of Buddha in the Zongyin Hall of the Pule Si,
constructed in 1766 (illustrated by Du Jiang in Buddhist Art from Rehol: Tibetan Buddhist images and
ritual objects from the Qing dynasty Summer Palace at Chengde, Taipei, 1999, p. 29). Characteristic of
many of these lacquered sculptures was the deeply colored gilding, almost in imitation of patinated
gilt-bronze, atop thick red or black lacquer. Although no records exist as to why lacquer was chosen
for the majority of the sculptural ensemble, it is likely the use of the more plentiful and pliable material
allowed for a more extensive building project. Certainly, the façade of the Putuo Zongcheng indicates
that Qianlong’s architects were willing to look for creative shortcuts.

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