Page 114 - Fine Chinese, Japanese and Buddhist Art September 28, 2018 Galerie Zacke

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OVER-LIFESIZE HEAD OF A TIANWANG GUARDIAN GOD, YUAN –
EARLY MING DYNASTY
Massive cast iron with remains of gold lacquer, good natural patina
China, Yuan – Early Ming Dynasty

This head, very unusual in the power of its expression, is that of a
Tianwang. These are the temple guardians who were originally demon
kings that converted to Buddhism and were made guardians of holy sites.
As this head alone makes impressively clear, their appearance is powerful
and extremely athletic. The precise depiction of the facial expression in
its complete concentration on the greatest possible vigilance is of great
artistic quality and has been reproduced with a rare degree of intensity.

These Tianwang, literally “Heavenly Kings”, are a quartet referred to as
the Sida Tianwang ⚃ ⣏ ⣑ 䌳, the “Four Great Heavenly Kings”, as well
as the “Diamond Kings”, the Jingang, 慹 ∃, literally “precious and hard”.
This means that while they themselves can wound others, they cannot
be wounded. The Tianwang have bodies and faith “as strong as steel”,
something which the present head makes convincingly clear. Because
it lacks attributes it cannot be identified by name. While they are less ⃫/㖶⇅慹∃⣑䌳椾⁷
directly honored – compared to the Buddha, the bodhisattvas etc. – they 揝揬炻ᾅ㚱慹㺮炻⣑䃞⊭㻧
are still elementary figures, portrayed in Chinese mythology as guardians ᷕ⚳炻⃫军㖶⇅
located on the four corners of Mount Meru, the center of the cosmos,
where all four have their palaces. 柕⁷⏰䎦⣑䌳冯䛦ᶵ↉䘬≃慷炻ⷞἮ㤝⣏䘬暯㑤ˤ⣑䌳㗗㶐⛇ἃ⮢䘬嬟㱽
䤆炻⍇䁢櫼⿒炻䴻デ⊾ㆾ旵ặ侴䘰ὅἃ攨炻ㆸ䁢⬰嬟䛦䓇䘬嬟㱽䤆ˤ㬌椾⁷
This head has a tall shock of hair which emerges like a waterfall and ⦩㬎䘬朊尴炻㶭㤂⛘堐忼↢⣑䌳䘬暯㓅≃炻䚉⾈借⬰䘬ン⹎炻嬻Ṣ⌘尉㶙
is held together by a prominent piece in shape of a mythical beast ⇣ˤ䦨㚱䘬㍷丒ㇳ㱽炻℟㚱㤝檀䘬喅埻㫋岆₡ῤˤ
with a ruyi-form back. The interplay between the expressive shapes of
the screaming, open mouth, the dynamically arched eyebrows (with ⚃⣏⣑䌳炻⍰䧙⚃⣏慹∃炻℟㚱⾈屆ᶵḴ䘬シ⽿⍲↨㥵ᶵℍ䘬幓幨ˤ晾⼙枧
small volutes in the region around the nose’s bridge) and the urna is ≃怈ᶵ⤪ἃ䣾ˣ厑啑炻Ữ┬䚉嬟㱽㛔↮炻ṵ⍿Ṣὃ⣱ˤ㟡㒂ἃ㔁䴻℠炻⚃⣏
dramatically executed. 嬟㱽⯭㕤枰⻴Ⱉ炻⎬嬟ᶨ⣑ᶳˤ

Shape: Sculptural 忁ᾳ柕⁷朊悐堐ね㤝℞䓇≽⼊尉炻柕檖㤝℟堅㑲≃炻⤪㾹ⶫᶨ㧋炻⸞檖䬵⚢
Weight: 35 kilograms ⭂⛐柕悐炻⊾ㆸᶨ䌠⼊炻䚱攻䘬䘥㮓㖶Ṗ炻暁䚖䁗䁗㚱䤆ˣ⻝◜㕍╅ˤ
Dimensions: Height 56 cm
Condition: While certain signs of its old age are, of course, present, ⼊䉨烉Ṣ䈑椾⁷
this head’s very complete preservation is impressive. One major dent to 慵慷烉35℔㕌
the backside. Minor chipping here and there, wear, some hardly visible ⯢⮠烉檀56⍀䰛
surface scratches. 㬌椾⁷⸜ẋᷭ怈炻Ữ⑩䚠ᾅ⬀⬴㔜炻嬻Ṣ樂导ˤ側悐㚱ᶨ㖶栗↡䕽炻ᶨṃ庽
Provenance: United Kingdom private collection ⽖䢐㎵⍲⸦᷶ᶵ⎗夳䘬堐朊⇖䕽ˤ
劙⚳䥩Ṣ㓞啷
Literature comparison: Comparable examples can be found in “Complete
Works of Statues in Longmen Grottoes”, Beijing 2002, ill. 28 to 30; in 㔯䌣㭼庫烉ᶨṃ⎗㭼庫ᷳ䈑ẞ炻˪漵攨䞛䩇喅埻 ⡆妪㛔˫炻⊿Ṕ2002⸜炻28-
“Ancient Chinese Buddhist Sculptures”, Taipei 1989, no. 9; or in “Chinese 30枩ˤ˪Ancient Chinese Buddhist Sculptures˫炻冢⊿炻1989⸜炻䫔9嘇ˤ
Buddhist Stone Sculptures – Veneration of the Sublime”, Osaka 1995, ˪Chinese Buddhist Stone Sculptures ȸ Veneration of the Sublime˫炻⣏
no. 59. Sothebys, Contemporary Literati: Curiosity, 05 APR 2015, HONG 旒炻1995⸜炻䫔59嘇ˤ⎎ᶨᾳⒸẋ㚜⮷䘬䞛䀘ⱑ⣑䌳炻夳喯⭴㭼˪⣯-䔞ẋṢ
KONG, lot 2843. (for another, yet smaller RARE LIMESTONE HEAD OF 㔯喅埻˫炻2015⸜4㚰5㖍炻楁㷗炻2843嘇㉵⑩ˤ⎎ᶨẞ䚠Ụ䘬⃫㛅⬰攨⣑嬟
A GUARDIAN, TANG DYNASTY). Compare also with a related head 㱽椾⁷炻䎦啷㕤⣏劙⌂䈑棐炻啷⑩䶐嘇1960.0729.1ˤ
of the guardian Dvarapala, Yuan dynasty, in the British Museum (acc. 栆Ụ㉵⑩烉ᶨᾳ⎴⸜ẋ揝墥嬟㱽椾⁷炻夳喯⭴㭼˪ᷕ⚳喅埻䍵⑩˫炻2017⸜3
no.1960,0729.1). 㚰15㖍炻㉵⑩䶐嘇547ˤ

Auction result comparison: Sotheby’s, IMPORTANT CHINESE ART, 15
March 2017, lot 547. (for a cast-iron head of a Guanyin, dating to the EstimateġEUR 3.000,-
same period) Starting price EUR 1.500,-

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