Page 21 - Christie's Buddhist Art May 29, 2019 Hong Kong

fig. 1 Collection of the Palace Museum, Beijing, 17.5 cm. high fig. 2 Collection of the Palace Museum, Beijing, 17.5 cm. high
எӬ ࢈՗ᘢ༈ࢷ⁒㩴⻦৅卿 ݩߎ㵶 எՀ ࢈՗ᘢ༈ࢷ⁒㩴⻦৅卿 ݩߎ㵶

made twelve great vows that he pledged to keep upon entering nirvana ᱯ ⻹Ⴧד⎏ᯧ㧰㖊ᙻǶ⻹Ⴧ↝∇ݏൈ׹ទ㯳࠻ᇪ
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ᦏ and attaining Buddhahood. (A bodhisattva ⵐ⻉ is a benevolent being ⣌Ƿ卻➯♑Ƕ⻹Ⴧ⣌Ƿ卼卿⣌ԋᑨ⻹Ⴧדـリⵐ
who has attained enlightenment ⵐᓽ but who has selflessly postponed entry ⻉㙣ᛞ卿ᝪ㋵ᱯᦏᎰדᇌ㇝ቬ໪ࢦՀഌ㯳ǯ卻ⵐ
into nirvana in order to assist other sentient beings— ᝳካ or ␕⊂ —in ⻉⎐጑ኙἃ᎜卿 㫍Ⴁ㌴ⵐᓽ卿ֿ࣐ᒩႠἃ՞卿

gaining enlightenment and thereby release from the samsara cycle 㖥㘛 of
⎉㯳᳢⏌ᝳካ␕⊂ංݣᱯᦏ卿ײԠ⬴㫘㖥㘛Ԡ
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birth and rebirth. ) On achieving Buddhahood, he became the Buddha of
Ⲍǯ 卼ᎰדԠᇌ卿⻹ჇדᎰἃែᙹ᲼↝∇ӽ⊤
the eastern paradise of Vaiduryanirbhasa, or Paradise of Pure Lapis Lazuli ↝
卻Ꮅ↝∇⪉᲼க卼ԠᘰԖ卿ݯ⬘׿ἃջヿഎ㪈⎏
∇⪉᲼க . There, two bodhisattvas symbolizing the light of the sun and of
ᚚݏ㙝ᾅⵐ⻉卿սࣿ㎜ᇨᝲՙ⎏ᝲݏ㙝ᾅⵐ⻉ǯ
the moon attend him: Suryaprabha ᚚݏ㙝ᾅⵐ⻉ , symbolizing the sun, and
Candraprabha ᝲݏ㙝ᾅⵐ⻉ , emblemizing the moon. ங؊ഠ⻹Ⴧד⎏ཀᅏԋ卿㩸ְஙڬ⎏Ꮅ㉓㚍ᝳ
ࢦՀ▵ཆᎵࢦՀ▵ℳ卿սݪׅӬ⢑⎏ᆨᅴߎ׿ݦ
According to traditional iconographic conventions, the Medicine Buddha, ᙿ卿ձٛपనݮ଍卿㕇⚅㤩⊑卿㎜ᇨ⻹Ⴧד᛿᳢
whether standing or seated, is portrayed with the left hand held at abdomen ␕⊂Ԡ㊝㯳ǯ
level, palm up, and with the right hand lowered, palm out, in the varada-
mudra. In many representations, though absent here, he holds a single ᡜᗌ۔⢴㙁۬ܔ㕗卿⻹ჇדὍ㋏Ꮅ⛁Ꮅஶ卿ݯᆨ
myrobalan fruit ㉕᢬ࡘ between the thumb and index finger of the lowered ㎜ἃႚᏛ㘆⭬卿ᓈᇵង഍卿ठᏛௗᘞ卿ᓈᇵशം
right hand. In the left hand the Medicine Buddha typically holds a small ᙼ⯝㯳ࣇǯ㉓അ⻹Ⴧד㙁۬⎐ठᏛௗᘞ卿ᐷᑨ⯝
jar—sometimes shown as a small bowl—containing amrita ≼㬖 , the nectar
㰱ᑨ㖔ᐸӬ៦㉕᢬ࡘ៧卿ֿ㘺Ӭ⁞ᇨត㇦ᙻទ
of the myrobalan fruit and considered the nectar of immortality. Given that
ཉǯ▜⎏ႚᏛ჎నӬཎ೭卻Ꮅཎ⦸卼卿Ꮢ⏇⎏㉕
the Medicine Buddha is associated with the Paradise of Pure Lapis Lazuli
᢬ࡘ≼㬖ᗌ㊯जظ㧩⊂Ӷ⩞ǯ⊐ᙻ⻹Ⴧד⯝᲼↝
and that his symbolic color is blue, the medicine jar is often tinted blue in
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paintings and in painted sculptures. The slightly upturned fingers of the left ∇ӽ⊤༗Ӷजߎ卿ݯ⁞ᇨᛓ㘻㕇⻤ൈ↝∇卿ᘢ᫉

hand suggest that this Buddha perhaps once held a small medicine jar. 6 ⥾⊺কᆭ⥾㫌۬⎏⻹଍᯿ࢮ१⻤ǯ ទཉႚᏛ⎏

Ꮫᑨᇤᇤݤཱི卿ज⬒ࣥ׹ᏛనӬཎႛ⻹೭ǯ
This sculpture, which was created in northeastern China in the eighteenth
century, reflects Tibetan influence. Although Tibetan imagery began to appear ទཉᛓࢦݨӽ⡕ⵖ࢈஠ࢥ⎏ㅳ৅卿१→Ի׹⯇㇛
in the repertory of Chinese art already in the Yuan dynasty ݉ង (1279–1368), ⻦⎏ᆴ㮮ǯ㫍὞ԋஇ⻱ワ৅᚝ᙻ݉ջ卻ݩ݉
Tibetan influence on Chinese Buddhist art became far more pronounced ⯍ ჺ卼Ⴁ⠦भ㇛⻦எ۬݉⡵卿ֿ㇛⻦ཌԋ

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