Page 268 - Christie's Asia Week March 2024 Chinese Art

IMPORTANT CHINESE ART INCLUDING THE COLLECTION OF DOROTHY TAPPER GOLDMAN

Another Property
ⱷ1153
A RARE GILT-LACQUERED WOOD FIGURE OF
MEDICINE BUDDHA ENTHRONED
17TH-18TH CENTURY
21q in. (55 cm.) high
$80,000-120,000

Stylistically, the current figure can be associated with a collection
of Buddhist gilt-lacquer sculptures commissioned during the reigns
of the Kangxi and Qianlong Emperors at the Buddhist site of Rehol,
near Chengde in Hebei province. Early in Kangxi's rule, he recognized
the importance of building strong relations with the various Mongol
tribes in the expansive steppes to the north and west of the capital.
To foster close ties with Mongol chieftains, he regularly invited them
on hunting excursions. Rehol initially served as a temporary hunting
site, strategically located north of Beijing at Chengde, known for its
picturesque beauty and featuring a prominent phallus-shaped rock
called Qingchui, reminiscent of Mount Sumeru, the Buddhist axis
mundi.
As the Mongols were avid followers of Tibetan-style Buddhism, Kangxi
initiated the construction of Tibetan-style Buddhist temples arranged
around the axis of Qingchui. Under the rule of his grandson, the
Qianlong Emperor, the site underwent significant expansion, with its
layout mirroring the Buddhist cosmology of a mandala. Qianlong even
commissioned the construction of replicas of the Potala Palace in Lhasa
(Putuo Zongcheng) and the ancient Samye Monastery in Tibet (Puning
Temple).

The central focus of worship in many of these temples was large gilt-
lacquered sculptures, such as the 22-meter-high figure of Thousand-
Armed Avalokiteshvara at the Puning Temple. Similar to the present
work are three massive Buddha figures in the Zongyin Hall of the
Pule Si, constructed in 1766. These sculptures featured deeply colored
gilding, mimicking patinated gilt-bronze, atop thick red or black
lacquer.
A distinctive feature of the Zongyin Hall Buddhas is the ornate flaming
1152
aureole behind each figure, with separately carved figures of Garuda at
the top, resembling an example sold at Christie’s New York in 2011. The
present work shares a striking affinity with these sculptures, exhibiting
stylistic qualities reminiscent of the Kangxi period.
Property from an American Family Collection
While the present work seems to predate 1766, possibly from the
1152 Kangxi period, its composition and style may have influenced the
A GILT-LACQUERED WOOD SEATED FIGURE OF larger Pule Si examples. It is plausible that the three Buddhas at the
BUDDHA Zongyin Hall represent the Three Buddhas of the Ages: Shakyamuni at
18TH-19TH CENTURY the center, Dipankara (Buddha of the Past) at his right, and Maitreya
(Future Buddha) on his left. Qianlong's mid-18th-century fascination
20¿ in. (51.2 cm.) high
with the Three Buddhas of the Ages is evident in his orders for kesi
$8,000-12,000 tapestries depicting the theme, as discussed by P. Berger in "Empire of
Emptiness: Buddhist Art and Political Authority in Qing China." The
PROVENANCE: present work's similarity to the three Buddhas at the Pule Si suggests a
Frank Finnell (1888-1967) and Marie Hinman (1894-1980) Collection, acquired
before 1939, and thence by descent within the family. potential representation of Shakyamuni Buddha, possibly accompanied
by corresponding figures of Dipankara and Maitreya Buddhas. Another
similar, but slightly larger (76.8 cm. high) example of a gilt-lacquered
美४家族珍藏
清十Ջ 十̏ˠ紀 漆金木雕ঙζ wood figure of Buddha enthroned sold at Christie's New York, 22-23
March 2018, lot 1041.
Ϝ源
Frank Finnell 1888 1967
及Marie Hinman 1894 1980
珍藏，Ն藏於1939年
ע，後於家族ҷ承 十ˑ 十Ջˠ紀 漆金木雕藥師ζঙ像
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1153