Page 220 - Christie's King St, November 8, 2016

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A RARE AND FINELY CAST GILT-BRONZE FIGURE
OF SAKYAMUNI
SUI DYNASTY (581-618)
The fgure is modelled wearing fowing robes, with the right
hand raised in abhayamudra and the left hand resting on the lap.
The face displays a serene expression, with pendulous earlobes
and the hair is tied into a top knot. The fgure is supported on a prophesied at his birth that he would either become a great
later lacquered wood double-lotus base.
6√ in. (17.5 cm.) high including wood base
£100,000-150,000 $130,000-190,000
€120,000-170,000
PROVENANCE
With Rossi & Rossi, London, March 1997.
From a distinguished European collection.
EXHIBITED
The International Asian Fair, New York, 21-26 March 1997.
This serene fgure sits in dhyanasana – with the right foot
resting on the left knee. Both of the fgure’s feet are concealed
under the folds of his robe. This particular seated position is
often associated with meditation. The right hand is raised in
abhaya mudra, while the left rests gently, facing upwards, on
the left knee. A mudra is a hand gesture associated with the
Buddha. The abhaya mudra is often described as a ‘gesture of
fearlessness’, and symbolises protection, benevolence, peace
and the driving out of fear. The gentle features of the face also 帶微笑，神情慈祥。
suggest quiet benevolence. The eyes appear down-cast, but in
situ the believer would have been looking up at the fgure and
so it would have seemed that the fgure’s gaze rested upon him
or her.
This fgure represents the Buddha Sakyamuni. The term
Buddha means ‘Enlightened One’ and refers to someone who
has attained enlightenment and has entered into nirvana. In
China such beings are usually depicted in the robes of a monk
and without jewellery, but with extended ear-lobes and an
ushnisha (protuberance on the top of the head), as in the case
of the current fgure. The extended ear-lobes and the ushnisha
are two of the 32 marks of the Buddha. In Mahayanist
Buddhism, there are believed to be an infnite number of
Buddhas, and Sakyamuni is regarded as the most recent to
218 FINE CHINESE CERAMICS AND WORKS OF ART
have appeared and lived in this world, and is thus known as the
Historical Buddha. The name Sakyamuni comes from Sakya,
which is the name of the tribe to which the Buddha originally
belonged and muni, meaning ‘sage’.
Sakyamuni is believed to have been born into the warrior caste,
the son of the Sakya king Suddhodana, and was given the
name Siddhartha, while his family name was Gautama. It was
ruler or a great teacher. For the frst 29 years of his life he led
a sheltered and luxurious existence in the palace. However at
29 he felt the need to see more of the world outside. Leaving
the palace, he encountered the sufering of humanity for the
frst time and determined to become a wandering ascetic.
He attempted several paths to enlightenment, including
meditation and fasting, but eventually seated himself under a
pipal tree at Bodh Gaya and pledged not to move until he had
attained supreme enlightenment. Eventually, at the age of 35,
he achieved his goal, and spent the remainder of his long life
teaching all who sought enlightenment, irrespective of their
religion or their position in society. As in the case of the current
fgure, Sakyamuni is almost inevitably depicted with gentle,
benevolent, mien refecting his compassion for humanity.
隋 鎏金銅佛坐像
來源: 倫敦古董商Rossi & Rossi, 1997年3月; 重要歐洲私
人珍藏
展覽: 美國紐約國際亞洲藝術展, 1997年3月21-26日
佛陀全跏趺坐，身穿袈裟，手施無畏印。雙目垂視，略
此像製作精細，造型優美，凸顯出早期佛教造像鑄刻之
精湛，實屬罕有。