Page 65 - September 11 2018 Junkunc Collection Sculpture
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he Northern Qi dynasty (550-577) was one of the most vibrant periods in the history
of Chinese art, both religious and secular, as its openness towards foreigners, their
Tideas, beliefs and goods immensely enriched the local cultural climate. It was within this
cosmopolitan climate that Buddhist sculpture experienced perhaps its most glorious moment. While
in the Northern Wei dynasty (386-534), manners of depiction were adapted from traditional South and
Central Asian prototypes, in the Northern Qi they had matured and developed into distinctive native
styles. However they still emanate the seriousness of strong religious beliefs, which were rooted in the
political instability of the mid-sixth century, and had not yet moved towards the pleasant and more
decorative imagery of the Tang dynasty (618-907).
The present stele is carved in the simplified style of carving in white marble found in Quyang, Hebei
province, and is particularly notable for the sensitively carved face of the main figure. It features the
region’s characteristic overall shallow relief treatment, with only the hands protruding in higher relief. The
smaller attendant monks are carved in shallower relief and with even more restraint in detailing, creating
a sense of harmony and veneration. The Palace Museum, Beijing, holds 251 pieces of similarly carved
sculpture from Xiude Temple in Quyang which was excavated in 1953-54, of which a larger related figure
seated in a pensive pose, inscribed and dated to the second year of Tianbao (corresponding to 551), is
illustrated in Feng Hejun and Da Weijia, ‘Si.Tan. Hebei quyang xiudesi yizhi fojiao zaoxiang kaogu faxian’,
Forbidden City, 2017 (5), p. 117. Of these Xiude Temple figures, more than 100 are inscribed with Northern
Qi reign names.
Further related carvings of a central pensive figure flanked by attendants include one, in the Hamamatsu
City Museum of Art, Hamamatsu, inscribed and dated to the eighth year of Tianbao (corresponding to
557), illustrated in Matsubara Saburō, Chūgoku Bukkyō chōkoku shiron [Historical survey of Chinese
Buddhist sculpture], Tokyo, 1995, vol. 2, pl. 396, together with two further examples, but more modestly
carved, pls 429 a and b.
ࡄ呷̭喑کღ͓㧱ใ᪴ࡃȠᕊᘠࣷԎН喑᱙ౌ䷕ ι⮫ρ̭ᄷ1953㜠1954Ꭱܧౌ㜗ᰟ䮪ԛᓤᄧ⮱Ⱕ
䆹㔹๔◧ٲ⯵喑♎䀃Ⴤ᪆ᝃ䲋Ⴤ᪆㬊㶀䲏喑Ͱ 䓾䕍喑ڣ͚̭У䐶仛䇭䏺ࣷ䖁ᓛҠ喑Ȧᕊ ᣏƉ
͚స㬊㶀ट̷ᰭ⅐䆎偞̭߰᭯喑҈᪆䕍䑊♹ ⇠ࡄᰟ䮪ԛᓤᄧ䖧౭҈᪆䕍㔰ऑ⮩⤫ȧ喑Ȩ㉘⺮
ᅞౕₑ̭ज䀯⮨ም䕍Ảȡࡄ偼䕍∂ᘌឬࢄϋȠ 䰉㾹ȩ喑2017Ꭱ喍5喎喑䴮117ȡ㾟౽ᅧᄥ䐰๔喑
͚ϋヱᐼ喑᭯㜠ࡄ呷Ͱ㜨⛌喑㜗̭ᵩȡ♣䥾㻭ࡄ ༬ᙸ↵⾖喑ݨ๖ԊιᎡ喍551Ꭱ喎ȡₑ㉱ԛᓤᄧ䕍
呷䕍喑Ϻ䶜㮁᪙㢷喑ᙵ䲉Ꭰহ喑ᅇ᱗㺸А䕍 ⪣͚喑ᰶ䊲䕻̭⮫ᄷݨࡄ呷Ꭱȡ
ᬻᔘȠཉᙸȡ
ओज℁䐰᪥Ҹ喑ڣ̭⤫㫼⊉Ძጯ㒻㶀乕喑ݨ๖Ԋژ
᱙৮̶ᄷॵ⇠ࡄᰟ䮪๔⤳ⴠ䕍⮱ㅎ㈱䷕ᵩ喑ͨ Ꭱ喍557Ꭱ喎喑䐶Ძ̶࣌䗻喑Ȩ㼯͚ప҈᪆ᒘ
䲏ღݨ⪘㉝㛖喑ᅑ◧⾮ܧ喑Вᰟ䮪ڥಸ⌧⊛䰂ݨ喑 ݨटⵁ⾣ȩ喑Პϙ喑1995Ꭱ喑ࢤ2喑ృ❵396喑हᰥ
ײ䘕В倅⊛䰂ݨ⪘ȡጓठᄷ㔲Вᰡ⌧⊛䰂ݨ㸪喑 ͓䐶ږҸ喑ݨጒ䐰ㅎ喑ృ❵429aࣷbȡ
∂ᰡ◧ㅎ㈱喑᩵হ䀔㢷䛺ȡࡄϙᩲმࢇ➖䮏ᩣ㫼
12 SEPTEMBER 2018 SOTHEBY’S NEW YORK 63
