Page 106 - Contenplating the Divie Buddhist Art Christies Hong Kong

2868 Continued

Akshobhya, which translates to ‘immovable’ or ‘unshakable,’ is one of
the Five Tathagatas (Dhyani Buddhas). Each of the Five Tathagatas
reign over one of the five directions, and Akshobhya is the Buddha
who resides in the east. The yellow labels on the present thangka,
one inscribed with dongfang budong fo (Buddha Akshobya of the
East) and the other inscribed with budong fo (Buddha Akshobya),
may suggest that this thangka was from a set of five. One of
Qianlong imperial Five Tathagatas thangkas sets is preserved in the
Palace Museum, Beijing, and is illustrated in Evelyn S. Rawski and
Jessica Rawson, China: The Three Emperors 1662-1795, London,
2005, pp. 134-135, no. 39 (fig. 1). According to the authors, these five
thangkas were displayed in the Qianlong Emperor’s chapel, fori lou
(the Buddha Sun Pavilion), completed in 1772, where they provided
a backdrop for the bronze figures of the Five Tahtagatas arrayed on
the altar below, see ibid, p. 397.
Both the present thangka and the Palace Museum set demonstrate
a similar stylistic treatment of the figures and the landscape all
rendered in a vivid colour palette, with bright pinks, greens and
yellows next to deep, iridescent blues. The central figures are both
painted with special attention paid to their richly embroidered
robes. Moreover, both examples display an exceptionally lush
composition with emphasis on the rich qing lü (blue-green)
Chinese-style landscape. There are all notable features of thangka
Buddhist paintings produced in the imperial Buddhist workshops of
the Qianlong period.

不動佛，又稱阿閦佛，為密宗五智如來之一。在金剛界曼荼羅中，五智如
來各居一方，大日如來居中代表法界體性智，南方寳生佛代表手等性智，
西方阿彌陀佛代表妙觀察智，北方不空成就佛代表成所作智，而不動佛居
東方代表大圓鏡智。這五智以法界體性智為根本，其餘四智均為轉識所
生。本幅唐卡上有兩處黃簽，書「東方不動佛」及「不動佛」，或為陳
設、收納時作指示之用，表明其為一組五智如來唐卡中的一幅。故宮博物
院藏有一組乾隆宮廷五智如來唐卡，載於 Evelyn S. Rawski 及 Jessica
Rawson 著，《China The Three Emperors 1662-1795》，倫敦，
2005 年，頁 134-135，編號 39（圖一）。該組五智如來唐卡原陳設於
紫禁城佛日樓，懸挂於擺放五智如來銅像的供案之後，見同上，頁 397。
本件唐卡在人物和背景山水的風格上與前述故宮博物院藏五智如來唐卡
如出一轍。整幅唐卡構圖嚴謹，設色明艷，多用黃、綠色調，配以明快的
粉色及藍色，主尊之藍色礦物材料熠熠生煇，袈裟更以精細的工筆繪製織
繡花紋，金碧輝煌。除此以外，這件唐卡與故宮院藏五智如來唐卡一樣皆
以青綠山水作為背景，帶有濃鬱的漢地風格。以上種種皆指示著其為乾隆
時期宮廷畫佛喇嘛、宮廷畫師所作。

fig. 1 Collection of the Palace Museum, Beijing
圖一 北京故宮博物院藏品

102 Contemplating The Divine – Fine Buddhist Art 正觀自在 — 佛教藝術精品