Page 66 - Christie's Buddhist Art May 29, 2019 Hong Kong

fig. 2 Collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Rogers Fund, 1928, accession no. 28.123
எՀ ഌ㛢ᝯࢷ⁒㱦卿3PHFSTఫ㞖ᝯ卿 ჺ卿ݱ⻦⤔⽚

is, to the tenth century. Unlike the present figures, the British Museum ջἃՆջ卻⡙ݩ݉ࢦӽ⡕卼㫌۬⎏׈㌴ǯֿݦᏼה
sculptures lack iconographic attributes, and they hold their arms in exactly ৅⎏႞ߣஙᙻ卿ഌⲖࢷ⁒㱦⻦ណ㫌⦷ԣ⁞໸⎏㙁
the same positions—each with right arm lowered and with left arm
۬ܔ㕗卿⩧ӻݦׅⵐ⻉⎏㫐⮥නࡥ⏟ऱ卿࣊ठ⮥ௗ
flexed at the elbow and hand raised to chest height—indicating that they
ᘞ卿ႚ⮥⯟Ꮫ⋁⬍卿⏭׹፽ᛓᝳഅׅⵐ⻉⎏Ӭ㢁അ
came from a large grouping of Buddhist deities that included multiple
bodhisattvas rather than from a simple triad. Even so, the British Museum ཉ⢑भ卿⩧㬳➯੷⎏Ӭ㢁Ӳཉǯ⥍὞ൈ᫉卿ഌⲖࢷ
figures are slightly elongated, like the present sculptures, and the drapery ⁒㱦⻦ⵐ⻉⎏㕇න㒛ទᐽ৅Ӭ᧙⊶㰆㮻㧩卿ݯ・
falls over the legs in virtually identical fashion.
ㆡᯒ⭯㰥ௗ⩧Ӵ⎏᧙ᅴᄃὍՀ⯎ǯ

In addition to the Fuji Yurinkan and British Museum sculptures, four
ទᐽ৅⎏㘆ַ׾㩶Ի߿㘚ᝳ㜐㱦⯝ഌⲖࢷ⁒㱦⎏
wooden sculptures in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art,
Ⅷ⻦卿㚍ᝳ୨ཉ⡥⡙ഌ㛢ᝯ㱦⻦ណ㫌ǯݯԋՀ׾ᛓ
are close counterparts to the present figures. Two of those four sculptures

including a pair of attendant bodhisattvas formerly attributed to the Tang Ӭཌ⬘׿ⵐ⻉卿໦ٛᝪㄴᙷջἃ৿ջה৅卿 ֿ→
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dynasty but now reassigned to the Northern Song period and dated to Ⴁᝤ᫈ἃݩ݉ࢦ⯍ࢦӬӽ⡕⎏࢈໬ណ㫌卻㱦⻦⽚
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the tenth- to eleventh-century (39.76.1-2). The third of the Metropolitan
卼ǯ ✄Ӳ׾㘆ַ⎏ഌ㛢ᝯ㱦⻦ᛓ߿㘚מ
Museum sculptures is the previously mentioned standing bodhisattva
ᏊǸ⣥ₕǹ≄ⅷ⎏ⵐ⻉⛁۬卻㱦⻦⽚ 卼卻ॲ̤卼卿
with a ‘fishnet necklace’ (28.123) (fig. 2), dated to the tenth- to eleventh-
century and which also shows stylistic kinship to the present figures; the ݯᙷջἃݩ݉ࢦ⯍ࢦӬӽ⡕卿㰍ᡟԮ⯝ទᐽ৅Ӭ
fourth is a sculpture of Bodhisattva Manjushri 㙚Ꮘஶᙔ᫢ⵐ⻉۬ seated in ⬛⏟㘻厎✄୨׾ᛓӬཉ㙚Ꮘஶᙔ᫢ⵐ⻉۬卿ᙷջἃ
rajalilasana 㙚Ꮘஶ , or the pose of royal ease, and dated to the late tenth to ݩ݉ࢦӽ⡕ថ⯍ࢦՀӽ⡕ߝ卻㱦⻦⽚ 卼ǯ
early twelfth century (42.25.5). 23
ទ໋ᓠ߅⎏ⵐ⻉۬᚝ᙻ ჺႡ㇦ᙻⶬ㢙卿ݯ㙁
Published as early as 1924, these elegant, refined bodhisattvas are
௛㫇༏ⵖ㏟卿㊦ἃԋஇדᘰ㫌۬⎏஝⯈Ԡהǯ໦
masterworks of Chinese Buddhist sculpture. They perfectly represent
the early Song-dynasty style, illustrating that style’s descent from Tang ٛ໭⧻஠㊀㞐Ի໬ߝ㰍ᡟ卿ᚘࣇ㌴Իݨӽ⡕৿ջ
sculptures of the eighth century while incorporating those features that 㫌۬ཌᇌӽ⎏ᆴ㮮卿Ք㮽▔Իᙲ㰍ᡟ⎏㊟⊂⯝ຒ
signal the emergence of a new style and the turn toward a new direction;
㍩厎ᚺԢ᫉卿ߺ⒖㘺ݦ։ה৅Ӷۣᛓԋஇ㫌۬टӳ
as such, they rank as classics, not only of Chinese sculpture but of world
⎏ݱ⻦Ԡה卿ஙӽ⊤㫌۬टӳՔהൈᛓ㈊ǯ
sculpture.

(For full essay endnotes, refer to christies.com) 卻ൈ᪞ࣻ㨙ᙔ⛌㉙㞐卿㋇Ṻ㈇ DISJTUJFT DPN卼

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