Page 47 - mar 21 Japanese and korean art Bonhams

2095

2095
ANONYMOUS Provenance
Shaka Triad with the 16 Rakan De-accessioned from the collection of a major food processing
Kamakura (1185-1333) or Muromachi (1333-1573), 14th century company and subsequently purchased at auction in 2009,
Kakejiku (hanging scroll) mounted on a panel, ink, colors, and Cleveland, OH
gold on silk in silk brocade mounts, depicting Shaka (the historical
Buddha Sakyamuni) preaching to a group of 16 rakan (enlightened For another example of this iconographic combination, with the
disciples of the Buddha), eight to the left and eight to the right, with preaching red-robed Shaka apparently seated on a cloud rather
attendant bodhisattvas (enlightened merciful beings) below: Fugen than the more usual throne, compare a triad with rakan in the
(Samantabhadra) at left seated on a white elephant and Monju Metropolitan Museum of Art (formerly Mary Griggs Burke Collection,
(Manjusri) at right seated on a blue-green lion; the reverse inscribed acc. no. 2015.300.1; https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/
with a spurious attribution to the eighth-century Chinese master search/53179), also dated to the late Kamakura or early Nanbokucho
painter Wu Daozi and a listing of the various fabrics used in the period. The exceptionally strong characterization of the 16 rakan in
mount the present scroll points to a date before the fifteenth century. The
47 x 28 1/4in (119.3 x 71.7cm), image only; 83 5/8 x 36 1/8in (212.4 standard spurious attribution to Wu Daozi on the reverse reflects
x 91.7cm) overall the celebrity and Chinese origin of the red Shaka icon; the earliest
surviving example, most probably Japanese but possibly Chinese, is
US$10,000 - 15,000 the famous eighth-century painting of Shaka preaching on the Vulture
Peak (also known as Hokkedo konpon mandara) in the Museum of
Fine Arts, Boston (acc. no. 11.6120).

FINE JAPANESE AND KOREAN ART | 45