Page 13 - Christie's Buddhist Art May 29, 2019 Hong Kong

fig. 1 The Portraits of the Six Arhats, Song dynasty.
Collection of the Palace Museum, Beijing
எӬ ໬Ƕݪཉ⩢۬Ƿ ࢈՗ᘢ༈ࢷ⁒㩴⻦৅

fig. 3 Detail of top rail of a carved wood bell-stand, Fahai Temple, Beijing fig. 2 Detail from Mudan ting ji [The Peony Pavilion],
எӲ ࢈՗ᯧᱡཀ㦈៵࣍㫡⡠㫌ߴ⡿எ woodblock print, Zang Maoxun edition, late Ming dynasty
எՀ ᛮᚺ⯄፿ᇠ‸Ƕ⁍ԕ՘㉃Ƿ‸⊺
2703 Continued

Altar tables are generally constructed of substantial proportions so that they serve a functional ϭᙑⅲ㭕㕷͠㢡Ѫ⿉␴䢲ॏ㣏⿀ᇥ㍭૯㕷܍བྷϭଃ
purpose in accommodating an array of displays including food and flowers, and ritual garnitures ⅲ⎥ި䢲ۢ͠˙ܔᖏㇲ␱㧛ⅲϭࣰ䢲ଫᷗ܀Ǐ㪁ᷳ
such as censers and vases made of varied materials. They were commonly placed in front of ⓼ǐॼണ༲ᆘ⎚ਕˮ䢲ϭᙑᕒ⼗ᐁ⟄ॼϭଃⅲയㅿ
images of worship as ceremonial furniture and would have furnished a temple or a monastery. ע㤚䣁ᕖᓁ̷ᕒ⿉ᑞ૯ೋཁਕˮ૵ǐ٫̺ᐅ೫ښḵ
Sometimes such altar tables were placed at the centre of a reception hall or ancestral hall of a
㡗ⳉߢ͞₝೰↴᜝೰ⅲǗՍബ⡅ӏǘⅲ೏͞ͱᕴˮ
household. An early depiction of an altar table where it is shown placed in front of an arhat is
䢮ॱˏ䢯䢲ዟ❡̞㊈ሯ⟕ᮗᓁⅲϭᙑǐ
illustrated on a Song dynasty handscroll, The Portraits of the Six Arhats, in the collection of the
Beijing Palace Museum (fig. 1). The Palace Museum version is thought to be a copy of an earlier 㡲㕵ྴ㭕ⅲ૯ໜ㦷ᙍᆘ૯⠹㦷ᙍ䢲ᑞ೰༈ೋಠˮ
Tang dynasty painting by Lu Lengjia. ̷ۿηϭᙑᆘϭᙍϕǐ΢ᒶ̣ډˠ☸٫̺๼ٱ
Formal and imposing side tables, often with additional everted flanges, were used as altar tables for ␴᳦̃ϭᙑⅲᙑಠ䢲˾ṁ׆〴〚ᑞണ༲ˮϕǐ
certain households. However, these are very different from the present table which has a deliberate で♢をᒝۿ۞㟼 4BSBI )BOEMFS 䢲Ǘ"VTUFSF
proportion and design. This type of altar tables would have been specifically commissioned for use -VNJOPTJUZ PG $IJOFTF $MBTTJDBM 'VSOJUVSFǘ䢲
in temples as suggested by Sarah Handler in Austere Luminosity of Chinese Classical Furniture, 㪁᫓䢲 ໝ䢲㦓 㠛ᑞᙑᙍⅲ〝ゲǐ᢬㧛ϭ
Hong Kong, 2001, p. 228. Altar tables of this type were referred to as gongzhuo in the 20th century ᙑଫᕴሠި䢲ⅳ⿉Տܔ̃ⴷ䢲ଫ⬹㶦ⅲ〴〚䢲㭙ᖚ
by Beijing craftsmen. Unlike side tables, the present example has extraordinary distinctive features ⥇ˮ೎㟌ሒ൦͠ᏻ♅㪁Փ䢲ۢ͠〴໶༃ᆘᇇ᧘ǐᓑ
such as the elaborate design of the feet, a high waist with long drawers below the table top for ᒝ⦧ᅢ࿃ḛǗḰ˸̻〦ǘḛ₝ˮۿ⿉ˏ཯ϭᙑ̷൲
storage of incense sticks, and is elevated on a stand or a floor stretcher. A closely related example ܔˏ␱㧛䢮ॱ̣䢯ǐ
displaying similar characteristics appears on a woodblock print of the Mudan ting ji, The Peony
Pavilion, a revised edition by Zang Maoxun in the late Ming dynasty (fig. 2). ϭᙑᕒॼ⎥⍽ϭଃ⓼ӷབྷˮϕ䢲́₇⧀⦰˖₇ⅲ
As altar tables are usually associated with ritual contemplation, the design is often more ornate ⢌❢䢲⡊㐝␱⑤㟢㓅ᒶ⎘⡾⡊⫦रⅲ䢲ᆵ͠ϭᙑⅲ
and sumptuous, and thus in keeping with the ideals of honour and respect. The room where an 〴〚ۢ᣻ϡ㓅ᕒ⧀ӷབྷⅲཇ╍ḵᕖᆵ㠛㐧䢲⡊〴〚
altar table is placed can be assumed to be an important spiritual space where devotees could 㓅ᕒ೾ᕖ⼾㨫သ䢲͠⻢㑇ᯄⳉⅲᐡ₊̃࿘⧀യ⎘ᒝ
connect with the divine, and as such the decoration and proportions of the furniture used would ෙ㭙ⅲ㐇ᥒǐᕴሠި˖ⅲ㝀㢯ଫჍڰ⮂㉚᳦ډ̩ˠ
more likely to have been reflected in grandeur of surrounding architectural elements. One of the ☸๼ٱ᥅ᬠ㈹֜̃η䢲Ւ㭙ᨼ㢯ᑞ˕ཿ⥒˖ⅲଫჍ
most notable elements of the present table is the reticulated and layered scroll leaves at the end of ڰ⮂♃䢲൬๯೺₱䢲๾ଖ૰๼䢲˗㢯ഡὛ䢲൬᡹ֱ
the cabriole legs, each is supported on an integral spherical ball forming the foot. This combined ᒝ䢲᳦ήಧˮ४۵ՔҭЦˮỵˏᴰ̣ϡǐᒝ͞᢫⚗
technique of openwork and high relief carving is unique among all known examples of classical ໝ㟢䢮 䢯ᑞ٫̺⧁Уⅲ᧊ᩄണˮ䢲ۿ⿉
Chinese furniture to date, and demonstrates the finest carving skills of 15th century craftsmanship. ˏй㝫ᗘ˖ᕖ⇂Κⅲڰ㣄♃㢯ח䢮ॱ˕䢯ǐॼ೎࿒
It is interesting, therefore, to find similarly stylised scrolls along the top rail of a carved wood bell-
stand in the Buddhist Faihai Temple in Beijing which was built in 1443 during the Ming dynasty 㷌൶ᑞᒝ͞ᆓ٪ໝ㟢䢮 䢯⭷ᆓⅲ␙ᤧ˕
Zhengtong reign (1436-1449) (fig. 3). This closely related floral design is also found as part of the ೋ㡫܀૥ḙ˖䢲ˏйཇ╍᝷ͬ⧀ᕴሠި˖ⅲଫჍڰ
decorative elements on the balcony in the Chengshi Sanzhai, ‘The Three Mansions of the Cheng’s’ ⮂㉚ഓ᳦₢ᕅܔ๼䢮ॱो䢯ǐ␙ᤧ˕ೋ᳦ᓁͯ⏙㒴
in Huangshan city of Anhui Province (fig. 4). These grand mansions were constructed during the ܃Ϣ㒢␙ᐂᐋ䢮 䢯ˏᑬⅲ⎐ೋǐ␙ᐂᐋ
Chenghua reign (1465-1487) and belonged to Cheng Zhengmin (1446-1499), the deputy head of the ᕍ᳦ᒝ͞⮏ܕ₝೰ߢΏⴲⅲ˹⡃೙ǐ
Ministry of Rites - who by chance was the chief examiner of the famous scholar Tang Bohu (1470-
1524) - and these buildings are preserved down the Cheng’s lineage.

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