Page 22 - Christie's Buddhist Art May 29, 2019 Hong Kong

fig. 3 © The Avery Brundage Collection. Courtesy of Asian Art Museum, fig. 4 Consecratory items found inside the current Medicine Buddha
San Franciso, 101.6 cm. high எ୨ ទ⻹Ⴧד۬ㅞ㬷⎏ㅛ⻦⁒
எӲ © "WFSZ #SVOEBHFⅧ⻦ ⯠㞖ྒྷՌᰲ⻱ワࢷ⁒㩴⻦৅卿 ݩߎ㵶

in the Ming dynasty ᚺង (1368–1644), particularly during the Yongle ᭦ᦼ இדᘰ⻱ワ⎏ᆴ㮮卿ஙᚺջ卻 ⯍ 卼ཝ
ჺ (1403–1424) and Xuande ໿ᇪ (1426–1435) eras, when the imperial court ἃᚺ㰆卿ݯԋࣽս᭦ᦼ卻 ⯍ ჺ卼Ǯ໿
looked favorably upon Buddhism and made a concerted effort to build ᇪ卻 ⯍ ჺ卼Հងᝬἃ⚇߅卿⋁ᛞ⎏ង
secular and religious alliances with Tibet, even inviting Tibetan monks to the ᅡཌדᘰ㑮Ԡⲋ㼸卿ዏᙹ㉑ᯧ⯝㇛⻦⤍⢙ӽز⯝
capital, Beijing, to conduct religious services. In such early Ming sculptures
໵ᘰ⪩⏋卿≾⯍㚉㋇⻦ۿ㑊՗ԖᑥᯧԿǯᚺߝד
of the Buddha, which typically are of gilt bronze, the outer the robes leave
۬ս㤒㞖㠩۬཰അ卿Ꮢᐠㄘㅝㄡठ⫒卿ֿ㇡⸌ႚ
the Buddha’s right shoulder bare but cover the left shoulder and upper
⫒কႚ⮥卿⬍⭬߿ᨕᙢ⩧Ӵ卿ௗㅯӴࢮ㕇ࣿ㫐⭯ǯ
arm and then cross the chest and abdomen diagonally to cover the lower
ד㩜ठԱӴ卿ㄘㅝ㇏ㅞӳᯒ᳖ᜁज㇦卿ݯᆨൈ⭤
body and legs. Visible below the Buddha’s right nipple, the top edge of the
ག卿औӬ⛘ஙႚ⮥ㄘㅝԠӴ߅→卿Ԇᯒ߿⮥ᕉௗ
undergarment encircles the lower part of the chest and then emerges from
⩧Ӵǯ㘺♎ఫទ⎏ד㩜ヿ→ᆨᅴ卿Ӭ⏜㇑⊇ᙻ
under the outer robe to cover the left forearm. This basic presentation of the
Buddha would continue through the eighteenth century in Tibeto-Chinese- ࢦݨӽ⡕⻦ᶴ㰍ᡟ⎏㫌۬ǯ
style sculptures. 7
ទᐽ৅㙁௛Ԡᘹ┣卿Ⴁ⒖⎏᳖ջ㘆ַ׾㸓⬒֐
The present figure is the largest by far of the several known Qing-dynasty ࣿ卿㊃ᏼה৅⎏ᙷջ⎐ἃࢦݨӽ⡕卿ߎߣ߅⯇ᄮ
sculptures in this style, all of which are generally dated to the eighteenth ᾭ卻 ⯍ ჺ卼ࣿԳ㪏卻 ⯍ ჺ卼
century—variously assigned to the Kangxi ᄮᾭ (1662–1722) and Qianlong ჺ㧿卿ᗌ㊯⊄஠ἃⵖ࢈ῂᯇ卿࣊⋁իᯇ࢈⏥ᐂᇪ
Գ㪏 (1736–1795) reigns—and are said to have been produced in the region Ⴊ㩠㘆厎໦ٛंᛇԻ᳖༈ཌ⻦۔דᘰԠῂㄌ卿ս
of Jehol ῂᯇ in northeastern China, near Chengde in Hebei province ᯇ࢈ ࣿཌ㇛⻦Ꮅᶴ⻦㰍ᡟ⎏דᘰ⥾⊺Ǯ㫌۬Ԡ੧ዴǯ
⏥ᐂᇪႪ ; they reflect the Qing court’s espousal of Tibetan Buddhism and
࢈՗ᘢ༈ࢷ⁒㩴⻦Հ׾㞐㘔⁋ཪ۬卿ݯ㰍ᡟǮം
its preference for Buddhist paintings and sculptures in Tibetan or Tibeto-
㈊⯝ទᐽ৅ᝬἃᓞ㘆卻㱦⻦⽚ᘢ ࣿᘢ ॲ
Chinese styles. The sculptures closest in style and appearance to the present
ːࣿॲ̤卼ǯ ݦ⩢ۣ㵶 ݩߎ卿㵲♥㙭㙭Ӷ
Buddha are the two representing the Buddha Shakyamuni in the collection
ࣿទᐽ৅厎༰㪡ӳ卿໦ٛԮᛓႡ⎉ヿ㘆ַ׾ԋᝬ
of the Palace Museum, Beijing (Gu849 and Gu912 / ᘢ 849 and ᘢ 912 figs.
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1 and 2). Each measuring just 17.5 cm in height, they are much smaller than ཎ⎏ה৅ǯ⯍ᙻऱӬ㯸㰍ᡟ⎏Ὅ㞔೰ד۬卿 ज
the present example; in fact, they are the smallest of the published sculptures ࣻ⩠⯠㞖ྒྷՌᰲ⻱ワࢷ⁒㱦⻦㵶 ݩߎ⎏ណ

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in this style. In kindred style but representing the Buddha Amitayus Ὅ㞔೰ , ⫭ᶜ㞖۬卻㱦⻦⽚ # 4 卼卻ॲ˖卼ǯ ⡥⡙
the gilt-lacquered wood sculpture in the collection of the Asian Art Museum, ক㲞ᳰ⼖༛ᬘᝪप⯇ᓠ߅Ӭ׾㘆ַ⎏㞐㘔⁋ཪד
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