Page 47 - 2019 September 10th Sotheby's Important Chinese and Tibetan Buddhist Art, New York

he inscription on the reverse of this figure translates to:
‘Wanli twentieth year, fourth month, eight day, at Guanglu 佛像背面銘文記：「萬曆貳拾年肆月初捌
T Temple, Wang Wendeng commissioned this statue’. Guanglu 日光祿寺署正王文登喜拾己財謹造」。光
Temple was actually not a temple for worship, but was the name 祿寺其實並非為寺廟，而是掌理皇室膳食
of the Imperial department charged with procuring and organizing 的官署。光祿寺始於北齊，但名稱及職務
the provisions for banquets for important state occasions and the 隨朝代變遷有所不同。永樂時期改名為光
Imperial household. The department’s origins date back to the 祿勳，聽於禮部。此官署於光緒三十二年
間結束。萬曆時期，王文登可能為光祿寺
Northern Qi dynasty, however its name and function evolved over 卿，特定製此佛像以祈求平安。
time. In the Yongle period, the name was changed to Guanglu Temple,
administered under the Ministry of Rites. The department lasted until 萬曆時期銀造佛像數量稀少，帶萬曆年款
the 32nd year of the Guangxu reign, corresponding to 1906. During 更為罕見，此尊造像實屬珍貴罕見。袈裟
the Wanli period, Wang Wendeng was in charge of Guanglu Temple, 上魚子紋常見於唐代銀器，是屬受中亞金
屬器造形影響，經絲路傳進中國，可見紐
and likely commissioned this figure of Amitabha to bring luck to the 約大都會藝術博物館藏一唐代高足盌飾
department in its daunting endeavors. 此類紋飾，館藏號碼1974.267。另見一南
宋銀蓮式盃，鏨飾工藝與本品蓮座相類，
Existing silver figures from the Wanli period are few in number, as 錄於《中國文物精華大全 – 金銀玉石卷》，
are Wanli figures with dated inscriptions; the combination of the two 香港，1994年，圖版145。
elements would suggest that the present figure is exceedingly rare.
The ring-punch design employed in one of the floral motifs of the
robe is a technique of silver decoration used since the Tang dynasty,
when Central Asian visitors along the Silk Route introduced their
metalworking traditions to China. For an example with the ring-punch
technique on a gilt-silver repoussé vessel, see a Tang dynasty footed
bowl in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, acc. no. 1974.267.
For an earlier example of the chasing technique employed on the lotus
petals on the base of the present figure, see a Southern Song dynasty
silver lotus-form cup, illustrated in the Zhongguo wenwu jinghua
daquan / Compendium of Chinese Art: Gold, Silver, Jade, Stone, Hong
Kong, 1994, pl. 145.