Page 23 - Christie's Buddhist Art May 29, 2019 Hong Kong

Abraham Lavingston (A.L.) Gump, After Gump’s Since 1861, A San Francisco Legend, published 1991, p. 34
⢇ⰻ᠊ "CSBIBN -JWJOHTUPO (VNQ 卿㖊ᙻǶ(VNQ’T 4JODF " 4BO 'SBODJTDP -FHFOEǷ卿 ჺ߅‸卿㮰

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San Francisco, measures 101.6 cm in height (B60 S16+ fig. 3). The two ۬卿ݯ㵲♥լԢݦ։ᘢ༈⻦৅⯝ទᐽ৅কՌᰲ⻱
closely related sculptures representing the Buddha Shakyamuni that sold at ワࢷ⁒㱦⻦Ԡ㧿卿⡥⡙ᐽ৅㘻㵶 ݩߎ卿⩧㲞

Sotheby’s—one in New York and one in Hong Kong—are intermediate in ᳰᐽ৅ߺ㵶 ݩߎǯ
size between the Palace Museum sculptures and both the present example
and the Asian Art Museum sculpture; the Sotheby’s sculptures measure 62.2 ݯ༰卿ԋஇჺջᝬ᚝⎏דᘰ㬪㠩۬Ԯᝳ㤒㞖Ԡ
cm (New York) and 66 cm. (Hong Kong) in height respectively. 11 ה卿⋁ԋӶԣӲࣿ୨ӽ⡕⎏ה৅卿ൈ㲬⻉㋭౻႔
࠯᧶Ⴊৌדഌໝ⻱ワࢷ⁒㱦⻦ⶬल⎏Ӳ⯍୨ӽ⡕
Even the earliest Chinese Buddhist sculptures in bronze were gilded,
㤒㞖㠩ஶד卻㱦⻦⽚ "卼卿սࣿ⯠㞖
including those from the third and fourth centuries, such as the famous third-
ྒྷՌᰲ⻱ワࢷ⁒㱦⎏ݱ⻦⡯ݩ݉ ჺ㤒㞖㠩ஶ
to-fourth-century Buddha in Meditation in the collection of the Harvard
ד卻㱦⻦⽚ # # 卼ǯ卻⋁ᛞ⎏㤒㞖႙⻱ᛓ
Art Museums, Cambridge, MA (1943.53.80.A), and the renowned Buddha
⊇㞖⟾⯝᭢㠤᳋भ⩧Ꮀ⎏㞖ᮄ࠲卿౴ஙႡ࠼႙⎏
in Meditation, dated to 338, in the Asian Art Museum, San Francisco (B60
㫌۬ヿ㬷卿㫌۬࠼ῂᇌ᭢㠤ⷻ⎉卿⩧㞖⟾ߺ⯝㠩
B1034). (The gold was applied to such pieces through so-called amalgam
gilding, in which an amalgam of mercury and powered gold was applied ⁎⁎㿱भǯ卼⏟ᬘԠӴ卿ᄃԢᏒᝳ᚝ឆ⎏דᘰណ
to the sculpture’s otherwise finished surfaces after which the sculpture was 㫌Ǯ⒢ߴࣿ᯵౯㙁۬卿⎐㱈ս㸓ⰴՙ㿃⎏▂⁒㯭
heated, causing the mercury to evaporate and the gold to bond permanently ᙠ厎㫌۬⎏・ㄜকႵႼഅ⊇ᨃ㿩Ǯ⻤ক⣔ⰰ卿ⅸ
to the bronze.) By contrast, virtually all early Buddhist sculptures in wood, Ԑ≄ⅷഌഅ㤒㞖卿⪿⮂ᓚ⊇⟾⡚Ꮅ⎊ⰰ卿㯔㶂ߺ
stone, and clay originally were embellished with brightly colored mineral ս㿳ⰰ卻ڮ‰⊇⻤ⰰ卼१→卿ݯ㯭ᙠ⊇㿱भ࠲Ꮅ
pigments; affixed with a binder, or glue, the colors include saffron, blues, and ⮈ₕ⁒୻໸卿Ӭ⯺ս⎊ⰰ⮏ຽἃ஠ǯ卻౴⮏ຽᚘ
greens for the robes and scarves, gilding for the jewelry, pink or white for the
ज┱ظណ⒢ヿ㬷ჹᙃ卿Ọ⎊ᄓⰰԮ⬒ײ㯭ᙠ⎽⎉
flesh, and black (and sometimes blue) for the hair, the colors typically applied
㸓ⰴক᳖ᜁǯ卼ԋஇ᚝ឆ㙁۬Ԡԋ卿ࣥᝳᆭ⥾ظ
over a gesso ground. (White in color, gesso was applied to smooth the
ໄᇑᝬൃ⎏׾ຽ卿୻὞ᛓ≼⪹⏥ᘹὭⴢ㵶⚞⎏ד
surface of the wood or stone and to render it chalk-white so that pigments
ᘰ㙁۬卿ֿӶཐ৿ջ≾Ꮅᝤ᚝⎏⒢㫌ד۬卿Ք᫬
appear to best advantage in terms of color and clarity.) The Buddhist
⊬Իᆭ⥾⌆㒝卿ལ᫉जࣻ㇦ৌדഌໝ⻱ワࢷ⁒㱦
sculptures in the Mogao grottoes at Dunhuang, Gansu province ≼⪹⏥ᘹὭ
ⴢ㵶⚞ , retain the greatest amount of original pigment of all early Chinese ⻦Ӳཉ㫌۬厍ݯӬᛓ࢈䁖Ꮅ㪔ջᶴ⎊ℱஶד卻㱦

sculptures, but other Buddhist stone sculptures from the Tang ৿ ង and ⻦⽚ 卼卿 ݯՀᛓ㪔ջỌⰰ⒢Ọႏ㈊

earlier periods often exhibit traces of original pigment, as well, such as three 㮥⛁۬卻㱦⻦⽚ 卼卿 սࣿ৿ջỌⰰ
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