Page 25 - Christie's Buddhist Art May 29, 2019 Hong Kong

Conservation treatment in 1994 revealed that this sculpture representing 㛑ԋ⚁ǯـᇟ՞৘☭㩶᫉۬⫫㛑Ӭ౩༗གណ‷ᇌ卿
the Medicine Buddha includes a hollow cavity in the chest; by removing a ⎉→⋁ԋ㏛ໄԻⲋჸཎႛ⎏⡮ទ⣌ᙔক⣌࣍卿औ
previously sealed wooden plate from the back, the conservators discovered
ᝳ⥫⁒᫬‷কⲋჸཎႛ㠩⛌ক㫓㮴؊৅卻ॲौ卼ǯ
that cavity contained a number of small paper sutras and prayer scrolls,
ـᇟ՞৘ཿ㍡Ӭ֍⣌࣍ᛞ⎉→卿⡮ӳ⊇⡚ಳᝧ
together with textile fragments, several small bronze seals(?), and assorted
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other consecratory items (fig. 4). Unfurling one of the small prayer scrolls, ༵⎏ԛᛓ⻦ᙔǯӬ፽؊৅ᝬ⢏⁒᫔ࣥ⽔卿㧷ऑ⽔
the conservators found the text, in red ink on paper, to have been inscribed ⊇ណ㞒ᙲགൃ卿ݯӳ㤒㞖ǯ㘺Ջ؊৅፽ᛓங㧷ݏ

in Tibetan. The items were returned to the cavity and the opening re-sealed ܔᅴԋໄᘞ卿㐋Ԡս㬦᭔কᯧ࠺ǯ ᫉㯸჌໵ᘰ
with a wooden cover, which was subsequently gilded. Such dedicatory ⰰᆭ⎏؊৅ᇈཐᝯ㉙ᚺᚚឆ卿Ԯ㸓ᝳᓽࣿ⯝㫌۬
objects were deposited within the sculpture during its consecration ceremony
ჺ֍Ǯ⊄஠Ꮅㅳה⫫ᜀᝳ㨸⎏⡿❥ǯ
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in order to enliven the image and grant it religious efficacy. Religious in
nature, such consecratory items seldom are dated and rarely include any
ჺ ⯍ ჺ ឆ 㧿卿 ᰞ ⇱ ቮ卻.BSUJO 4
information that would convey insight into a sculpture’s date, place, or other
3PTFOCMBUU卼߅֌⢇᭄ᰑリࠗ⥙ㅅᜫᓚ㐟Ԗ❖卿᫉
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circumstances of manufacture.
۬؝ᛓᰞ᭄ᙻ ჺஙᚚទ՗㛢ἃ⢇᭄㐟ݣǯទ
Martin S. Rosenblatt, who served as Vice President and Senior Buyer for ཉ⻹Ⴧד㙛ᐩ⯠㞖ྒྷᇌ卿ᚅ࣊ㄴᘞஙᄕԋ⋁␓ׅ
Gump’s between 1936 and 1957, acquired this sculpture for Gump’s in Kyoto, ⧡卿᫉߿ऱӬׅ⧡ཿ▔⎏᫈ᛓ⢇᭄⩞ᄕ᧐㊗卿࣊
Japan, in 1957. Shortly after its arrival in San Francisco, this Medicine Buddha ݯ།ᚉ᫉߿㐩Խ⯠㞖ྒྷᚚទⳍஊ⎏ᚚទ㬪㠩ד
was accorded a prominent display space, replacing as the store’s emblem the
۬ǯ ჺ卿 ⢇ ᢱ ⧲卻4PMPNPO (VNQ卿 ⯍
Japanese bronze sculpture of the Buddha that the Gump family previously
ჺ卼Ꮀ⛁⢇᭄ᰑリ卻4 ( (VNQ卼卿⯍
had given to San Francisco’s Japanese Tea Garden. In 1864, Solomon
Gump (1833–1908) established the Gump firm.S. & G. Gump, and, at the Հࢦӽ⡕ߝ卿ݩत᥉࡞Ւ⊐⢇ᢱ⧲✄୨ຽ⢇ⰻ᠊
beginning of the twentieth century, the firm was passed on to Solomon’s 卻"CSBIBN -JWJOHTUPO (VNQ ⯍ ჺ卼ᓞ
fourth son, Abraham Livingston Gump (1869–1947). Famous for its range Ꮫǯ⢇᭄߅਑⎏യⵖ།཰㪀㉑⯝ㅛ㱈৅ս♎㯸Ԡ
of luxury home furnishings and décor items, Gump’s by 1940 had become
അ⪡ल㙠㚐卿᚝ᙻ ჺԠ߿卿ᄕԋ㪀ߛ⎏ԋ
internationally renowned for its displays of Chinese art.
இ⻱ワ৅Ⴁ⿧⪬இ㪡ǯ
The majestic, eighteenth-century Medicine Buddha thus stands as a telling
ᛓ᪖ᐽ㐈⎏㘺ཉ⛘޵㬱♞⎏ࢦݨӽ⡕⻹Ⴧד۬卿
symbol of Gump’s long and very serious involvement with Asian art over the
⊂࡚஠㊀㞐Ի⢇᭄Ӭ⎋Նࢦჺ׹⯝Ռᰲ⻱ワ⣱㧩
past century and a half. Works acquired at Gump’s not only enhanced—and
still enhance—wealthy homes throughout the nation, but, as collectors have ᳅ᅓ⎏Ւ᱁Մ࡚ǯᖧի㘤ᛀ卿⢇᭄߅৅Ӷ⒖㿽⣧
passed their treasures on, many works have found their way into museum Իݥஇप஠ᄃ㉓ⵖ໨ᅓᄹ卿໦ٛᎵஙⅧ⻦⩢།ᚉ
collections through gift and bequest and thus are on view in numerous ջջ⏟۔卿ᝳ⎏ᒝ߅Ꮅ㚃㐩Խࢷ⁒㱦卿ஙपഌݩ
public galleries. Indeed, works with the prized Gump’s provenance still
⛁⧻ワ㱦ݩ㧷ཿ߅ǯ㊦὞卿᧐ᥫἃ⢇᭄⯠⻦⎏ᐽ
appear in auctions today, including the important imperial spinach-green
৅⏖߿ஙႪౚӳᛞजᇑ㇦卿⡥⡙צ೥ᇑᙻ
jade book set from the Qianlong period Գ㪏ჺ (1736–1795) that sold in
Christie’s 14-15 September 2017 New York auctions (lot 1025). 24 ჺ ᝲ ᚚᐽ߅⎏Ӭഩݱ⻦⡯Գ㪏卻
⯍ ჺ卼ᇙㅳ┡ℱݺ؝ᛓӬ׾卻ᐽ৅⤔⽚
With its history spanning more than 150 years, Gump’s was San Francisco’s 卼ǯ
third oldest business in operation until the recent closing of its store. The
Gump’s brand remains a revered luxury name with customers across the ⢇᭄ᰑリῩ㙛ट߿ᇌ㧩㙤 അჺ卿ᑪᑥ⦛⣌Ῡ
United States and beyond. Recent changes such as the closure of the Gump’s ⎏ᛞ㧿׹❏卿໦ங⯠㞖ྒྷ֐᥉ᓎリᥫׅ཰✄Ӳ卿
store marks a passing of American luxury department stores as purveyors of
⏜⯍㘆ჺ⢙᥉ἃ᫇ǯ⎋ჺ⩞ᄕⶔӴԻჍრ卿Ԯᝫ
fine art. Gump’s legacy will live on, however, as museums, collectors, auction
⧻இ㵶ᨯ⎋㏕ݩतݳῩ⻱ワ৅⎏ᛞջࠧӳԻओ
houses and commercial galleries proudly list “Gump’s San Francisco” as the
provenance of works they display. ⽚ǯֿ⢇᭄৅‼ங⧻இս⯍ᱡം㰀໾ᇵԋ卿،
὞ᛓ㵶བ৅ঀ⎏㎜ᇨǯ⢇᭄ཌᇌӽ⎏ᆴ㮮࠺ཆ㧩
(For full essay endnotes, refer to Christies.com) ໄ卿ग㇝ࢷ⁒㱦Ǯ⻦།Ǯᐽ㐈リকਦ᥉⊺ᄻխս

ᖸᝳӬ։Ǹ⯠㞖ྒྷ⢇᭄⯠⻦ǹἃۓ卿㚣⢇᭄⎋ჺ
۔ᐂԠỉ؝ज᭦⶜ӶᵨǮ᫓Ԝᆚᙲǯ

卻ൈ᪞ࣻ㨙ᙔ⛌㉙㞐卿㋇Ṻ㈇ DISJTUJFT DPN卼

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