Page 103 - Sothebys Important Chinese Art London May 2018
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and Virupaksha, ‘He who observes all things in the kingdom’, See also four much larger painted stucco sculptures dressed
the Guardian of the West. Each guardian is depicted as a Þ erce in similarly modelled armour, from the Shuanglinsi temple
warrior, with eyes wide open and their muscular bodies visible in Pingyao, Shanxi province, illustrated in situ in Shuanglinsi
under their armour, while their celestial nature is indicated by cai su foxiang [Buddhist images of coloured stucco from
their ß owing scarves. Shuanglinsi], Taipei, 1997, pp 33 and 35.
Surviving complete sets of the Four Guardian Kings carved
: £ 50,000-70,000
with full rounded faces and intricate detail as seen on the HK$ 555,000-775,000 US$ 70,500-98,500
present are rare; a comparable set, but the Þ gures seated
th
on rockwork bases, was sold in our New York rooms, 13
˝ᎉ෧̬ɽ˂ˮɓଡ଼̬య
September 2017, lot 119. Compare also a standing wood Þ gure
of a guardian, sold at Christie’s New York, 20th March 2014,
lot 2061.
IMPORTANT CHINESE ART 101
