Page 49 - Christie's Fine Chiense Works of Art November 2018 London

guards the world in the interval between the departure of art were early in ffteenth-century China, particularly in the
the Historical Buddha Shakyamuni and the appearance of Yongle and Xuande 宣德 (1426-1435) reigns, Tibetan-style
Maitreya 彌勒, the Buddha of the Future. The Lotus Sutra— Buddhism probably was little practiced outside the imperial
known in Sanskrit as the Saddharma Pundarika Sutra and in court, so most such images likely were made for the court,
Chinese as the Miaofa Lianhua Jing 妙法蓮華經—is generally as indicated by the imperial inscriptions. 5
accepted as the earliest sacred text that presents the The bodhisattva’s broad shoulders, smooth torso, and long
doctrines of Avalokiteshvara, that presentation occurring legs derive from Indian traditions, as do the thin clothing
in Chapter 25. Titled Guanshiyin Pusa Pumenpin 觀世音菩 and such items of jewelry as the armbands. By contrast,
薩普門品 and devoted to Guanyin, that chapter describes the large circular earrings; the broad, somewhat square
Guanyin as a compassionate bodhisattva who hears the face with high cheekbones and elegant, curved eyebrows;
cries of sentient beings and who works tirelessly to help and the prolifc use of inlays stem from Nepali and Tibetan
all those who call upon his name. Thirty-three diferent traditions.
manifestations of the bodhisattva are described, including
Numerous sculptures in this Nepali-Tibetan-infuenced
female manifestations as well as ones with multiple heads
style were produced during the Yongle reign, and the style
and multiple limbs.
continued into the sixteenth century with but little change
The style of this sculpture belongs to a long artistic tradition or evolution. The soft folds in the scarf draped over the
that can be traced to northeastern India in the eleventh bodhisattva’s shoulders and arms and the loose pleats of
and twelfth centuries, which then spread to Nepal and the sarong-like undergarment are typical of works produced
Tibet. The fowering of the Nepali variant of the style in in the imperial workshops during the Yongle and Xuande
China during the Yuan dynasty 元朝 (1279-1368) is often reigns, as is the careful casting of the back. 6
linked to the infuence of Anige 阿尼哥 (1245-1306), a young
The formulaic, six-character inscription reading Da Ming
Nepali artist who was brought to Beijing in 1262 by Chogyal
Xuande nian shi 大明宣德年施, which is engraved at the
Phags’pa (1235-1280), an infuential Tibetan monk of the
center of the base’s fat top and which may be translated
Sakya sect and state preceptor for Khubilai Khan (1215dan-
“Bestowed [during the] Xuande era [of the] Great Ming”,
1294), the founder of the Yuan dynasty. Anige played an
dates this sculpture to the Xuande reign (1436-1435) of
important role at the Mongol court, serving as the director
the Ming dynasty, a period of great artistic refnement in
of all artisan classes and the controller of the Imperial China. Engraved after casting, inscriptions on such Tibeto-
Manufactories Commission. 4
Chinese-style bronzes typically read from left to right,
Although Tibetan Buddhist imagery began to appear in as seen here and end with the verb shi 施, in this context
the repertory of Chinese art already in the Yuan dynasty, meaning “bestow”, rather than with the verb zhi 製, meaning
Tibetan infuence on Chinese Buddhist art became far “made”, which is typically seen in the imperial marks of
more pronounced in the Ming dynasty 明朝 (1368-1644), porcelains of the same period.
particularly during the Yongle era 永樂 (1403-1425), when
A copper plate covers the open base of this hollow-cast
the imperial court looked favorably upon Buddhism and
sculpture. Held in place by both friction and red wax, the
made a concerted efort to build secular and religious
base plate conceals the sculpture’s interior from view and
alliances with Tibet, even inviting Tibetan monks to the
secures in place the dedicatory objects deposited within at
capital, Beijing, to conduct religious services. Such Tibetan
the time of consecration in order to enliven the image and
infuence manifests itself in the sensuousness of the art,
grant it eficacy. Engraved at the center of the base plate, a
as witnessed in this fgure’s elegant proportions, S-curved
double-vajra with a stylized blossom at the crossing of the
posture, dazzling jewels, refned gestures, abundant and
two arms symbolically shields and protects the sculpture
meticulously rendered details, and compressed double-
and its contents.
lotus base. As important as Tibetan-infuenced works of

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