Page 155 - September 11 2018 Junkunc Collection Sculpture

aturalistic and realistic qualities in Buddhist sculpture were particularly sought-after
during the Song dynasty. The ‘dry lacquer’ technique, as seen on the present head, lends
Nitself to expressive sculpture, and was capable of producing religious sculpture with
unprecedented levels of realism that no other material or technique could evoke.

The dry lacquer process involved first sculpting the figure in clay over a stick-like wooden model. Patches
of lacquered hemp were then pasted onto the clay. These were then covered with further lacquer layers,
which could be sculpted in greater detail and carved to give expressive qualities. Finally the surface was
painted in polychrome pigments. Once completed, the original construction of wood and clay were
hollowed out and removed, leaving only the fragile skin of hemp and lacquer. The number of extant Song
dynasty religious images made in this complex and sophisticated technique is relatively low, largely due
to the time-consuming and demanding production process as well the vulnerability of material.

Compare a related dry lacquer head of a luohan in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, formerly in the
collection of Charles B. Hoyt, included in the exhibition The Charles B. Hoyt Collection. Memorial
Exhibition, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, 1952, cat. no. 533. A slightly later head, attributed to the Liao
- Jin period, in the Nelson Atkins Museum, Kansas, is illustrated in Laurence Sickman and Alexander
Soper, The Art and Architecture of China, Baltimore, 1960, pl. 82.

ᄘᄓ䷕ᵩ͸҈׼喑ౕႸАᅑऄ₎䓻ȡ᱙׼᝭⩕͸๫㉢ ℁䐰̭㒲⑏仃׼喑⤫ႅ᫩∏ธ䵀㒻㶀ࢇ➖乕喑ܧ㜗
Ϋ␳ጒ㬊喑㜴䕍׼␬ჹ㶕⤫߈͸䷕ᵩ⍫♣२व喑᝭᜽ Charles B Hoyt ᩣ㫼喑ᰫᆂ᫩ȨThe Charles B
Ⴤ᪆䕍ಸ͸ᄘᄓᏓ喑ڣЃᱽ䈗ࣷ᝸∂䰐ࣷȡ Hoyt Collection Memorial Exhibitionȩ喑∏ธ
䵀㒻㶀ࢇ➖乕喑1952Ꭱ喑㌕㮌533ȡओ℁̭Ҹ喑᫤
Ϋ␳๫㉢䊤໸В᱕ᴞ◧㩷喑−ൾ҉὎喑䇩㭥␳叨ጰВ
А䖩㜠䛾喑⤫ႅ᫩ൗ㫖᫜㈺❫䖉 䭬➦䛾᫜㬊㶀ࢇ
◧㗻ȡᓖ᫪䛺␳喑ጔጒ㇫䰂喑᪤ᒖ⌨㞟喑ᰭᒹޟ䪸㗹
➖乕喑ృ䐶᫩ Laurence Sickman ࣷ Alexander
䲏ःܧ᱕㩷−ಜ喑ग久㪱叨␳ᆑ喑㙘㗻᜽׼ȡₑ∂ጒ
Soper喑ȨThe Art and Architecture of Chinaȩ喑
∂㍮㸴喑㸪҉㞞䝲喑๔䇨ক」喑ߍ̷Ϋ␳㏃ጔ喑ᭀ᫩
ጡ❫⮱ᦖ喑1960Ꭱ喑ృ❵82ȡ

᤺ซ喑ᩲₑ⤫ႅႸАჄ᪆๫㉢Ϋ␳䕍׼⩇◧僛㺸ȡ

12 SEPTEMBER 2018 SOTHEBY’S NEW YORK 153