Page 84 - September 11 2018 Junkunc Collection Sculpture

The prevalent carving style of the
period reflected by this bodhisattva
figure can equally be seen on steles,
where two such figures are flanking
a central Buddha; see, for example,
Matsubara Saburō, Chūgoku Bukkyō
chōkoku shiron [Historical survey
of Chinese Buddhist sculpture],
Tokyo, 1995, vol. 3, particularly pls
656b, 658b, 660b, 663a, and 670,
for examples from the High Tang and
2
slightly earlier.

This sculpture was once in the collection of Bettie F. Holmes, better known as Mrs. Christian Holmes
(1871-1941) (fig.2), a noted American collector and generous philanthropist. Her collection included
Chinese archaic bronzes, early jades, Tang gold and silver, ceramics of various periods, Buddhist
sculptures in gilt bronze and stone, and other works of art, but also Japanese, Siamese, Indian,
Persian and Egyptian antiquities. She was one of only four American lenders to have sent pieces to
the Ausstellung chinesischer Kunst at the Preußische Akademie der Künste, Berlin, 1929; and she
contributed nearly two dozen objects to the International Exhibition of Chinese Art at the Royal Academy
of Arts, London, 1935-6, the most important exhibition of Chinese art ever held. Her collection was
displayed among fine English and French furniture at her residence, ‘The Chimneys’, a mansion at Sands
Point on Long Island, New York. After her husband’s death, she established a hospital and a charitable
foundation in his memory and became a major donor to the Philharmonic Symphony Society and the
Metropolitan Opera.

Centuryȩ喑՘᪓喑1925Ꭱ喍䛺࢝᫩ᰩ䅤喑1998 უȡڣᩣ㫼࠲᠙͚స䱿䞲கȠऑ⢶கȠ਽А䛾䞭கȠ
Ꭱ喎喑ృ❵464喑ᒹᭀ᝸᫩㈽㈱Ҡธᓄ1999Ꭱ9ᰵ16 ऱА䮣⨤கȠ䞲䢼䛾ࣷⴠ䰂҈᪆䕍׼ȠڣЃऱᐼጒ㬊
ᬒ喑㌕㮌18喠ᒹ㔲ݴ࣌ਜ਼᫩՘᪓㬴ჹ℁1946Ꭱ11ᰵ ৮喑Вࣷᬒ᱙Ƞ᯦㒲Ƞ࢝ᏓȠ∏᫜ࣷጹ㜅ऑ㦐ぶȡ
22ᬒ喑㌕㮌56ȡ̷䔝Ҹ׼䏘ಸ౴䐰᱙׼ผ֒ȡ ๘ϧ⮱䕆ψ⣺㫼㜴̭ψ䴯㉇⮱㠞సࣷ∂సუڤᰫ͓݄
ᆂ⹧ౕڣ౽㥪᫩㈽㈱䪤ሣ⮱Ⴒ䗥͸͚ȡHolmes ๘
᱙׼᝭ᆂ⹧͸ह᱌䰂ݨ䷕ᵩ喑ϓज㺸᫩ⴠⶾ喑ຯ㺸Ძ
ϧᰫ᫩1929 ᎡܧՌ㫼৮㊓᳼᳄ᮛ傜ธ㬊㶀Ⴅ䮏㜶䓓
̶࣌䗻喑Ȩ͚పϼ᪆䰂ݨट䀃ȩ喑Პϙ喑1995Ꭱ喑ࢤ
⮱Ȩ͚స㬊㶀ᆂȩ喑◧⪣᭯ఈѺܧՌᆂ৮⮱㒻స㫼
უ͸̭ȡ䮑ₑใ喑຦䖱ᰫՌܧι࡮็У㫼⣺㊓1935
3喑ࣰ㔰ృ❵656bȠ658bȠ660bȠ663aࣷ670喑҉
Ҹܧ㜗Ⰸ਽ᝃ䐰ᬖ᭯᱌ȡ
㜠1936Ꭱ՘᪓⮴უ㬊㶀Ⴅ䮏㜶䓓⮱Ȩస䯈͚స㬊㶀
ᆂȩȡHolmes ๘ϧౕڣ̵๘䰏̓ᒹ喑◧㈭ᔢώ๘喑
᱙׼ᰫᆙ Christian Holmes ๘ϧ喍1871 1941喎ᩣ
᜽⿸γ̭᝭䛘䮏ࣷᙵ઱ധ䛾ᰰȡ຦ह᭯䖱᭜ᙈἯἯ౅
㫼喍ృι喎ȡHolmes ๘ϧͰ㦄ऺ㒻సᩣ㫼უࣷᙵ઱
ࢁᰰࣷ๔䘪ᰰ⁹޴䮏⮱ͨ㺮䈷ߖϧȡ

Fig. 2 Mrs. Christian Holmes (1871-1941), previous owner of the present lot, Bettmann/Bettmann/Getty Images
ృι Christian Holmes (1871-1941) ๘ϧ Bettmann/Bettmann/Getty Images

82 JUNKUNC: CHINESE BUDDHIST SCULPTURE