Page 64 - Christie's Buddhist Art May 29, 2019 Hong Kong
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Southern Sea ࢶᱡ ㈊ 㮥 sculpture in the collection of the Nelson-Atkins   ⋁ߝஙᅏԋ؊ഠᛞ卿Ӳཉ⫫ᇌ፽प⯇㇏ս㯔ݏᎵ
               Museum, Kansas City, MO (34-10). 14                             ⫫ݏ卿⸥≓ᆨ⎏ݏ∪ջヿ▵■㕇㵲ᾃ⎉⎏ݏⱉ卿
                                                                               սᆳ㰆ݯ▵⪛஠ׅǯ卻㯔ݏᛓᑨ▵■㯔ᇌ⎏஋ᆨ
               When under worship in a temple, each sculpture in the triad would have
               been backed by either a halo or a mandorla ⫫ݏ , the lotus-petal-shaped   Ꮅ⏎ₕݏ㖥卿սݥ㕇ἃ⫫ᜀ⎏ݏ㖥ߺἃ⫫ݏ卿ݦ⩢
               aureole ݏ  ∪  suggesting light radiating from the deity’s body and thus   ⎐ἃ▵■᧐㍃ǯ卼ஙݦཉⵐ⻉⎏⫒⫸Ԡ㧿⯝⭝ᇌ卿
               signaling its divine status. (Symbolising divinity, a halo is a circle, or disc,   மὍ໫ㅛ㫌ה⩧Ꮀ⎏⫫ݏᏒ㫬⎏ᓿ᥹卿ज㇦ݯݏ
               of light that appears behind the head of a deity; a mandorla is a full-body
               halo.) That each of these sculptures lacks a tenon between the shoulder   㖥፽⥾ᙻݯ㕇ᇌ⎏ೀӳǯ㘺♎⥾⊺⯝㫌౯⢙भ⎏
               blades or at the back of the head to receive a sculpted mandorla suggests that   ᆨᅴ卿᫈ᛓ۔⢴דཀ⎏ㅛ㱈⁞ⰰԠӬǯ᫉㯸ݏ∪
               the aureoles were painted on the wall behind the figures. Such integration   ᯿ࢮ⠦भԻᝩ൘⎏⦞៨Ɽ⡠卿Ꮅஙᬔ۬㯔ᇌ㱈Ӭ
               of painting and sculpture was a characteristic feature of traditional Buddhist
               temples. The aureoles likely incorporated floral designs arranged in a   ភ᫈㬷⏇㧷Ԡ⸥Ɽǯ
               scrolling arabesque, perhaps with an open lotus blossom featured en face
               directly behind each figure’s head.                              ݦ։ᐽ৅ࣥ׹⎏ᄓᄠமႡᘶഔ卿→ໄᄓᄠἃՀࢦ

                                                                               ӽ⡕᳎࠼ǯ⊐ᙻ໬ջណ㫌ᄓᄠᄃὍ۔ӽ׾ຽ卿ᘢ
               The present bases on which these bodhisattvas stand are twentieth-century
               replacements for lost originals. As few bases for wooden sculptures survive   㫙սᙷ໸ទᐽ৅ࣥ㜩⸥ᄠ⎏ം㈊厎ֿ⡥⡙ഌ㛢ᝯ
               from Song times, the exact appearance of these sculptures’ original lotus   ⻱ワࢷ⁒㱦⻦Ӭཌࢦ⯍ࢦӬӽ⡕࢈໬卻ݩ݉
               bases is difficult to determine; even so, the bases for a pair of Northern
                                                                               ⯍     ჺ卼ⵐ⻉⛁۬卻㱦⻦⽚          卼卿ݯᄓᄠ
               Song ࢈  ໬  (960–1127) sculptures representing standing bodhisattvas
               dated to the tenth- to eleventh-century and now in the collection of   ⯝ទᐽ৅ᄓᄠӳࢮ㛑ᥑἃᓞ㘆卿ἃᓠዏᄓᄠ⎏ࣥ

               the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (39.76.1-2), bear a close   ㎼ᓽ؊Ի⤇⡷ǯ  ᫉ം卿ഌ㛢ᝯབᝳӬཉᡜᗌ㠺ᙔ
               resemblance to the upper portion of the present sculptures’ bases,
                                                                               ᙷջἃݩ݉      ჺה⎏݉ջណ㫌㈊㮥⛁۬卻㱦⻦
               suggesting that these bases likely capture something of the original bases’
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               appearance.  In addition, the base for a Yuan-dynasty wooden sculpture of   ⽚       卼卿ݯᄓᄠԮ⯝ទᐽ৅ᄓᄠ⎏ӳࢮ㛑ഌऱ
               a standing Guanyin dated by inscription to 1282, also in the Metropolitan   ཎ⊿ǯ
                                      16
               Museum collection (34.15.1),  corresponds closely to the upper portion of
               the bases on which these bodhisattvas stand.                         ჺ   ᝲ卿⡥⡙צ೥ᇑᐽ߅Ӭཌ৿ջ卻ݩ݉
                                                                               ⯍    ჺ卼⒢Ọႏ㈊㮥ࣿഌࡥ⯍⛁۬卻ᐽ৅⤔⽚
               A pair of Tang-dynasty ৿  ង  (618–907) limestone figures representing

               bodhisattvas Guanyin and Dashizhi that sold at Christie’s New York,        ࣿ     卼卿  ݯ⏟ཌ⩧⛁⎏නጔ⯝ទᐽ৅ൈ߅
                                                17
               in September 2018 (lots 1123 and 1124)  presents the two bodhisattvas   Ӭ㗂卿ज㇦ऱ㯸௛⎏㫌۬┱ᛓ⬴⫭ᙻ৿ջה৅ǯ⡥
               standing side-by-side in virtually the same poses assumed by this pair,
                                                                               ⡙ഌ㛢ᝯབⅧ⻦Ӭ׾Ӯӽ⡕ԋ⯍ᛮឆ⒢Ọႏ┐卿
               illustrating the descent of sculptures of this type from Tang-dynasty
               forebearers. The depiction of bodhisattvas Guanyin and Dashizhi standing   ݯӳߴӬཌ㈊㮥কഌࡥ⯍ⵐ⻉卻㱦⻦⽚       卼卿
               side-by-side on a mid- to late seventh-century limestone stele in the       ݯཌ⛁⎏㕇නԮ⯝צ೥ᇑទ໋ᓠ߅⎏ⵐ⻉ࢦߎ
                                                         18
               Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (30.122),  corresponds closely
                                                                               ᓞ㘆卿ݻ᪖㌴ᚺទᐽ৅Ԡ㙁௛┱⯝৿ջ㫌۬Ӭ⬛
               to that of the Christie’s bodhisattvas and further traces the present figures’
               typological origins to Tang sculptures.                         ⏟ᐂǯ

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