Page 42 - Chinese Art Auction April 25, 2020 2020 Galerie Zacke

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A WhITe MARble buddhIsT sTele,
NORTheRN QI dyNAsTy

China, 550-577. Carved from one single piece of marble. The
recessed shrine with three arches, the central one of pointed
form, carved in high relief with a figure of Guanyin standing
between two bodhisattvas, all three on double lotus bases
and beneath two flying phoenixes in shallow relief.

Provenance: From an English private estate.
condition: Extensive wear and weathering, significant losses
as visible on the various images at www.zacke.at. No hidden
damages. The stains to the marble are from the fact that
the statue was positioned in an English private park for over
hundred years (by repute).
Weight: 95 kg
Dimensions: 85 x 45 x 15 cm

Guanyin is shown with her hair bound together into a high
chignon behind a tiara, her face with a serene and benevolent
expression, downcast eyes, wearing elegant flowing robes with
long heavenly bands at their sides. There is the Chinese folk
adage “Every house has Amitabha, every family has Guanyin”. This
is meant to indicate how popular Guanyin is in China up until this
day. The present statue is a good example for this, as Guanyin is
literally front and center, and the smaller size of the two flanking
bodhisattvas creates an additional “illusion of depth”, making
Guanyin appear even closer. Guanyin is first mentioned in the
Lotus Sutra, the most important and influential of the Mahayana
sutras, where it states that Guanyin can take whatever form
necessary, male or female, to bring salvation. The Lotus Sutra
started gaining popularity during the Sui dynasty (581–618) but
even shortly before that, images of Guanyin were already being
produced as evidenced by the present lot.
The Northern Qi dynasty (550-577) was one of the most vibrant
periods in the history of Chinese art, both religious and secular,
as its openness towards foreigners, their ideas, beliefs and goods
immensely enriched the local cultural climate. It was within
this cosmopolitan climate that Buddhist sculpture experienced
perhaps its most glorious moment. While in the Northern Wei
dynasty (386-534), manners of depiction were adapted from
traditional South and Central Asian prototypes, in the Northern
Qi they had matured and developed into distinctive native styles.
However, they still emanate the seriousness of strong religious
beliefs, which were rooted in the political instability of the mid-
sixth century and had not yet moved towards the pleasant and
more decorative imagery of the Tang dynasty (618-907).

The present stele is carved in the simplified style of carving
in white marble found in Quyang, Hebei province, and is
particularly notable for the sensitively carved face of the main
figure. It features the region’s characteristic overall shallow relief
treatment, with only the hands once protruding in higher relief,
which is why they are now lost with no exception. The smaller
bodhisattvas are carved in shallower relief and with even more
restraint in detailing, creating a sense of harmony and veneration.
The Palace Museum, Beijing, holds 251 pieces of similarly carved
sculpture from Xiude Temple in Quyang which was excavated
in 1953-54. Of these Xiude Temple figures, more than 100 are
inscribed with Northern Qi reign names, but not all of them.
Auction result comparison: Compare with a single white marble
Guanyin from the same period, standing on a closely related lotus
base, at Christies Paris in Art d’Asie, 15 December 2010, lot 279,
sold for EUR €12,500.
大理石觀音碑，北齊
中國，550-577。用一塊大理石雕刻而成。 帶有三個拱門的神殿，是尖形
的中央拱形，高浮雕著觀音像，站立在兩個菩薩之間，三個菩薩都在雙蓮
座上，上方有淺浮雕的鳳凰。
來源：英國私人遺產
品相：如www.zacke.at上的細圖所示，大量磨損和風化，缺損明顯。
沒有隱藏的損害。 大理石上的污漬據説是因爲被放置在英國私人公園一
百多年。
重量：95 公斤
尺寸：85 x 45 x 15 厘米
estimate euR 3.000,-
Starting price EUr 1.500,-

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