Page 278 - Important Chinese Art Hong Kong Sotheby's April 2017

This rare bronze figure of Avalokitesvara, depicted seated 銅觀世音菩薩像，半迦姿態自在悠然，面容刻劃細緻優
in the majestic position of ‘royal ease’, rajalilasana, is of 雅，袍帶柔逸，瓔珞滿綴，甚是珍罕。最為相近者應屬
superlative quality, finely cast with exquisite facial features 佛格藝術博物館藏一尊銅觀世音菩薩像，原為 Greville L.
radiating serenity, adorned with opulent jewellery and long Winthrop 舊藏，錄於 Hugo Munsterberg，《Chinese
flowing robes. The closest comparable example is another Buddhist Bronzes》，紐約，1967年，圖版68。頁70作
bronze figure of Avalokitesvara, formerly in the collection 者論及此像「應屬最為重要之宋朝觀音坐像，風格經典具
of Greville L. Winthrop and now preserved in the Fogg Art 代表性，線條自然柔和，宛若繪畫」。
Museum, illustrated in Hugo Munsterberg, Chinese Buddhist
Bronzes, New York, 1967, pl. 68. It is discussed by the author, 銅造像鮮有半迦跌坐者，較常見於宋代木雕，多為水月觀
ibid., p. 70, where he refers to it as the ‘most outstanding of 音造像，取材唐朝繪畫，呈現菩薩光明自在，清淨無礙之
the seated Kuan-yin figures of the Sung period... the style 姿。據傳匠人以佛畫為雛本而造，通宋一朝大為盛行。
typically Sung, with soft contours, flowing lines and a soft, 詳細討論參考 Angela Falco Howard 等著，《Chinese
painterly manner. Sculpture》，紐黑文，2006年，頁388。月行渾天，有控
制萬物潮水之能，佛經亦見水中月，象徵世物皆空。然典
This ‘royal ease’ position is rarely found in bronze, but more 籍無載觀世音菩薩與水中月之直接關連，水月觀音的形象
commonly found in wood carved figures of the period. It 應是佛教經典之外衍生而來。
represents the vibrant and luminous state of mind which is
flawless, pure and perfect, and is likely to depict the Water- 半迦姿態應出自《華嚴經》中善財童子為求道，遠赴普陀
Moon Avalokitesvara (Shuiye), a representation derived from 洛迦山求見觀世音菩薩，菩薩半迦坐於石窟，與其辯證佛
Tang dynasty paintings. It is thought that these paintings, 理。十世紀以來，隨著《華嚴經》的普及，半迦佛姿更多
which no longer survive, served as prototypes for sculptors 見於造像藝術，參考 Derek Gilman，〈A New Image in
and such representations of Avalokitesvara were particularly Chinese Buddhist Sculpture of the Tenth to Thirteenth
popular during the Song period. For a comprehensive Century〉，《東方陶瓷學會彙刊》，卷47，1982-83年，
discussion of this subject see Angela Falco Howard et. al, 頁32-44。
Chinese Sculpture, New Haven, 2006, p. 388. The moon is
believed to be the controller of the water, circulating through 鎏金銅作例可比較皇家安大略博物館珍藏著名「水月觀
the universe and sustaining all living creatures. Moreover, 音」像，展出於《The World of Khubilai Khan. Chinese
the moon in water is common in Buddhist scriptures and Art in the Yuan Dynasty》，大都會藝術博物館，紐
symbolises the transitory nature of the world. Although 約，2010年，編號149。並參考一件尺寸較小銅觀世音
there is no scriptural basis for linking Avalokitesvara with 菩薩像，刊於 Munsterberg，前述出處，圖版69，現
these metaphors, it is thought this imagery was adopted and 藏弗利爾美術館。大英博物館亦有一件鎏金銅例，出自
adapted from sources outside Buddhism. Oppenheim 舊藏，載於烏爾裡希．馮．施羅德（Ulrich
von Schroeder），《Indo Tibetan Bronzes》，香
The reclining pose is thought to originate from an episode 港，1981年，圖版143D，斷為明初造像。
in the ‘Flower Garland’, or Avatamsuka Sutra, in which its
protagonist, the young Sudhana in his search for true wisdom, 此編號備有牛津大學熱釋光測試證明書以確認其鑑定年
seeks Avalokitesvara on his island residence of Mount 代，測試編號為N115a44。
Potalaka. The divine Compassionate One appears seated
in ‘royal ease’ inside a grotto and debates with Sudhana.
The spread of the Avatamsaka Sutra in China from the 10th
century saw the concurrent development of this posture, see
Derek Gilman, ‘A New Image in Chinese Buddhist Sculpture of
the Tenth to Thirteenth Century’, Transactions of the Oriental
Ceramic Society, vol. 47, 1982-83, pp. 32-44.

For an example in gilt-bronze, compare the famous ‘Water-
Moon Guanyin’ manifestation in the Royal Ontario Museum,
included in the exhibition The World of Khubilai Khan. Chinese
Art in the Yuan Dynasty, The Metropolitan Museum of Art,
New York, 2010, cat. no. 149. See also a smaller bronze figure
of Avalokitesvara, illustrated in Munsterberg, ibid., pl. 69,
for an example in the Freer Gallery of Art; and also another
gilt-bronze example from the Oppenheim collection, now in
the British Museum, illustrated in Ulrich von Schroeder, Indo
Tibetan Bronzes, Hong Kong, 1981, pl. 143D, attributed to the
early Ming dynasty.

The dating of this lot is consistent with the results of a
thermoluminescence test, Oxford Authentication, sample no.
N115a44.

276 SOTHEBY’S 蘇富比