Page 18 - Christie's Hong Kong May 31, 2017 Fine Buddhist Works of Art

2804 Continued Former collection of Robert Ellsworth
安思遠舊藏
While almost the entire figure is fire gilt, in which mercury is used
to adhere gold to the bronze surface beneath, the beaded hems of Woodblock print circa. 1300
the robes on the front of the figure are picked out in silver inlay. 磧砂藏引首，南宋紹定至元至治
Although mixed silver and gilt decorated figures were often found
in the earlier bronze casting centres of North India, including
during the Pala period, they are incredibly rare for this early period
of Tibetan art. Such a technique requires masterful expertise, and
this example embodies the virtuosity of the Tibetan bronze casters
of the 14th century.

Compare the present figure with a related but smaller figure,
originally in the Pan-Asian Collection and personal collection of
Robert Hatfield Ellsworth and now in a private collection (fig. 1).
The Ellsworth figure, despite depicting a crowned Buddha, is
remarkably similar in terms of sculptural decoration and style. The
figure is dressed in a patchwork robe, with raised beaded hems in
both silver and gold, and with an incised leaf pattern similar to
that of the present example. A Chinese woodblock print from the
13th/14th century shows that this iconography of Buddha with
patchwork robe was a very popular subject at the time and was
already well known in China (fig. 2). While the Ellsworth figure
is in silver, the exposed skin and face of the figure was originally
covered in cold gold, meaning the original effect would have been
one of shimmering contrast between the silver and gold areas.
The present figure magnifies that contrasting effect by eschewing
the cold gold for luminous fire gilding. Apart from the Ellsworth
example, few other works of Himalayan sculpture that employ
both gold and silver are known.

本像通體施鎏金，用水銀溶解金粉塗在銅上，再進爐燒製使水銀蒸
發，造成金色外表。袍襟及袍下緣的連珠紋則用嵌銀的方式增色。雖
然北印度，包括帕拉時期的造像時有見加銀的例子，西藏早期造像身
上同時出現鎏金及嵌銀的現象非常罕見，也令人讚嘆西藏早期鑄銅匠
人的技巧與能耐。

比較一件高 23 公分的銀佛坐像（圖一），為泛亞洲及安思遠舊藏，
現在在一私人藏家手中。安思遠舊藏例雖然多加了頭上寶冠，但是其
造型及體態還有衣飾的風格都與本造像非常接近。安思遠例身穿百衲
服，袍上綴連珠紋，袍襟及底緣上刻金錢紋，與本像大體相同。從一
幅南宋到元至正年間的木刻版畫上（圖二）可見，百衲服坐佛在當時
是廣泛流傳的一個題材，在中國本土也常見。安思遠例雖然為銀質，
但是臉部及皮膚本來有漆金，所以原來想表現的是金銀交輝的視覺效
果。本坐像比它更勝一尺，通體用熠熠發光的鎏金，再局部嵌銀，燦
爛奪目。除了安思遠例之外，如本像一樣有金銀對比效果的喜馬拉雅
造像非常少見。

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