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his graceful head of a bodhisattva shows the characteristic crown of the Northern Wei
period (386-534), and displays particularly close similarities with figures of Maitreya
Tand bodhisattvas from the Gongxian and Longmen caves complexes in Henan province,
both commissioned by the Northern Wei imperial family. These impressive imperial sculpture projects
influenced the development of Buddhist sculpture during the Northern Wei period onward.
Northern Wei dynasty figures of this type were made to represent the ideal beauty of the time, with
stylized facial features characterized by a pronounced narrow and elongated head, with small, neat
linear facial features all frequently surmounted by a high crown, further emphasizing the linearity of the
sculpture. The result is an ethereal quality, representing the purest form of the ideal of Buddhist spiritual
enlightenment.
Many of the comparable sculptures originate from the Longmen cave complex; compare two seated
figures of bodhisattvas, both from Longmen and now in Zurich, illustrated in Osvald Sirén, Chinese
Sculptures in the von der Heydt Collection, Zurich, 1959, pls 11-2. Compare also three figures from
Longmen published in Zhongguo meishu quanji [The complete volumes on Chinese art], vol. 11,
Shanghai, 1988, pls 52-4; a related head of a bodhisattva, attributed to Longmen, published in Réne-Yvon
Lefebvre d’Argencé (ed.), Chinese, Korean and Japanese Sculpture in the Avery Brundage Collection,
Tokyo, 1974, pl. 34; and a further example, from the collection of Chu Hsiao-shih, Taipei, included in the
exhibition Chinese Buddhist Sculpture from the Wei through the T’ang Dynasties, National Museum
of History, Taipei, 1983, cat. no. 9. A similar three-sided crown centered with a floret is seen on a
boddhisattva sold in these rooms, 6th November 1981, lot 55. Compare also a head sold in our London
rooms, 16th December 1980, lot 435; another, sold at Christie’s New York, 20th March 1997, lot 122; and
a third example sold at Christie’s New York, 6th June 1985, lot 529.
᱙҈ۍᆙࡄ偼ڥಸ喑㜴⇠ࢄ咺䪭Ƞ䲼㍐ⴠ⿌ᑹ߿ࣷ ̶Ҹ喑ϓ⎽㜗咺䪭喑䐶Ȩ͚స㒻㶀ڕ䯳ȩ喑ࢤ11喑
㤖㫖ᅑ◧Ⱕ䓾ȡₑιⴠ⿌⩞ࡄ偼მᐤᓎБ㜵ᐧ喑 ̷⊤喑1988Ꭱ喑ృ❵52 4喠ₑใᅇᰶ̭Ҹ喑⎽咺
♎⪾ᄺ҈᪆䕍⮩ᆂᒞ䴬䬉䢢ȡ 䪭喑䐶 René Yvon Lefebvre dăArgencé ㌕喑
ȨChinese Korean and Japanese Sculpture in
the Avery Brundage Collectionȩ喑Პϙ喑1974
ₑ䶋ࡄ偼䕍喑㶕⤫⪣᭯㒻Ⴅ⏃喑䲏ღݨް䷕ᵩ⾮
ܧ喑仃ᒏԛ䪤喑ρჅ㉝㛖喑䴯ᝡ倅ۍ喑⾮䶜㌇᷊
Ꭱ喑ృ❵34喠ओᰶ̭Ҹ喑ᆙझࡄٟᄼⴠᩣ㫼喑㺸
㒻喑✌䕍⾧䱵⅐䴨喑ᄓͰ҈᪆䔪Ⅿ䊲㙘̓Ԅ㉁⒁ㅎ⌕
Ȩ͚సऑАⴠ䰂㬊㶀ȩ喑స⿸₤टࢇ➖乕喑झ
㶕⤫ȡ
ࡄ喑1983Ꭱ喑㌕㮌9ȡϓ㺸̭Ҹ喑҈ۍⰥ䶋喑ਜ਼㈽
㈱㬴ჹ℁1981Ꭱ11ᰵ6ᬒ喑㌕㮌55ȡओजࣰ㔰̶仃
㜴᱙Ⱕ䓾Ҹ喑็⎽㜗咺䪭ⴠ⿌喑࠲᠙ږᄷ㤖㫖
Ҹ喑ܳݒਜ਼᪓㬴ჹ℁1980Ꭱ12ᰵ16ᬒ喑㌕
౽喑⤫ႅ㬴叻̓䰤➦ќᵩࢇ➖乕喑ృ䐶ૉϮ
㮌435Ƞ㈽㈱Ҡธᓄ1997Ꭱ3ᰵ20ᬒ喑㌕㮌122ࣷ
咺喑ȨChinese Sculptures in the von der Heydt
1985Ꭱ6ᰵ6ᬒ喑㌕㮌529ȡ
Collectionȩ喑㬴叻̓喑1959Ꭱ喑ృ❵11 2ȡں℁
12 SEPTEMBER 2018 SOTHEBY’S NEW YORK 71
