Page 112 - 2019 September 10th Sotheby's Important Chinese and Tibetan Buddhist Art, New York

110 SOTHEBY’S NEW YORK 10 SEPTEMBER 2019 BODIES OF INFINITE LIGHT

Fig. 1 X-Ray photography of the present lot Fig. 2 A Xuande Mark and Period Gilt-Bronze Figure of
圖一 本品X光片 Amitayus, sold in these rooms, 25th March 1999, lot 121.
圖二 明宣德 銅鎏金無量壽佛坐像 紐約蘇富比1999年3月25
日，編號121

The Jinasagara Avalokiteshvara thus displays stylistic characteristics 如上所述，本像帶永樂及宣德年造像風
seen in both Yongle and Xuande period sculpture. Although a variant 格，比較一尊私人收藏永樂年鎏金銅觀音
of the arm jewelery and necklace design is seen on a Yongle period 像例，載於Amy Heller，《Tibetan Art》，
gilt-bronze Avalokiteshvara in a private collection, Amy Heller, Tibetan 米蘭，1999年，圖版 90，觀音臂上寶石裝
飾及項鏈紋飾與本品相近，然而宣德年鎏
Art, Milan, 1999, pl. 90, the identical bracelet and arm band designs 金銅觀音像之手鏈及臂帶與本品完全相
and the compelling physiognomic similarities of the Xuande gilt bronze 同，面容刻劃亦非常相近，如此推斷，本品
Amitayus would suggest that the gilded wood statue is perhaps more 應可斷代宣德。
likely to date to the Xuande period.
刻劃大悲勝海紅觀音之佛像甚爲鮮見，可
This rarely portrayed iconographic subject is further represented in a 比較一尊永樂年款小鎏金銅像例，曾借
small Yongle mark and period gilt-bronze formerly on loan to the Royal 展於Royal Tropical Institute，阿姆斯特
Tropical Institute in Amsterdam, Jan Van Alphen, Cast for Eternity, 丹，Van Alphen，《Cast for Eternity》，
Antwerp, 2004, cat. no. 76, HAR item 24524 (fig 3). The Yongle gilt- 安特衛普，2004年，編號76（HAR編號
24524），（圖三）。來自西藏或中國之大
bronze and the present gilded wood example appear to be the only two 悲勝海紅觀音像，僅有該像及本像，由此
recorded sculptures of Jinasagara Avalokiteshvara from either Tibet 可推斷，大悲勝海紅觀音在永樂及宣德
or China, which suggests that the cult of the deity was particularly 年間受中國藏傳佛教信衆擁戴，自早明
popular with the Vajrayana Buddhist establishment in China during 後，藏傳佛教信衆較少，直至清代，此像
the Yongle and Xuande periods. After the early Ming there was 方才載於章嘉・若必多吉(1717-86年)著
reduced engagement with Tibetan Buddhism until the late Ming 《三百佛像集》，參考Lokesh Chandra，
and early Qing dynasty, when this esoteric form of Avalokiteshvara 《Buddhist Iconography》，新德里，1991
was included in Rolpai Dorje’s (1717-86) Three Hundred Icons, see 年，編號2278(75)，後者記載此佛為「秘
密馬頭明王觀音」。宣德帝雖與西藏時有
Lokesh Chandra, Buddhist Iconography, Delhi, 1991, cat. no. 2278 來往，卻不如永樂帝及元帝忽必烈（1215-
(75), where the deity is identified as Guhyasadhana Avalokiteshvara. 1294年）般扶持佛教，反而更像其父洪熙
Although the Xuande emperor maintained contact with Tibet, he did 帝（1424-1426年），提倡思想自由、追求
not have the same patron-priest relationship that the Yongle Emperor 學術成就，取代永樂年間採用之積極擴展
and the Yuan dynasty ruler Khubilai (1215-1294) had with Tibetan 政策 ，故此，宣德年間朝廷對西藏宗教領
religious hierarchs. Rather, he maintained the liberalism and scholarly 袖及寺廟之扶持遠不及永樂年。因此，據
pursuits favored by his father Hongxi (r. 1424-1426), superseding the 現存記載，永樂年製之西藏金剛乘佛像相
expansionist policies of the Yongle Emperor. Patronage of Tibetan
hierarchs and monasteries was thus much reduced in the Xuande