Page 122 - Fine Chinese, Japanese and Buddhist Art September 28, 2018 Galerie Zacke

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A CAST AND REPOUSSÉ GILT-BRONZE FIGURE OF
SYAMATARA, DOLLONOR, QING DYNASTY, 18
th
CENTURY
Cast bronze statue with massive fire-gilding and neatly
incised detail work. Several parts such as the bands,
earrings, lotus flower holders executed in copper repoussé.
Remainder of old pigments. Inlaid turquoise and coral
pearls. The base with old, most likely original sealing
Dollonor, Qing Dynasty, 18 century
th
This beautiful sculpture depicts the young goddess
Syamatara, who is venerated as a liberator, able to free
devotees from the chain of birth and rebirth and all the
suffering that ensues. In myth, she emerged from the
tears of Avalokiteshvara as he wept for the suffering
of all sentient beings. It is a testament to her supreme
compassion and agency. As such, she is depicted with
her right leg outstretched, ready to respond to one’s
suffering, and her right hand in the gesture of charity.
The figure sits in dhyanasana on a double-lotus base
with both hands held in vitarkamudra. Clad in a flowing
dhoti with hems neatly incised with a foliate pattern and
adorned with various jewelry. The face shows a serene
expression and the hair is pulled into a tall chignon.
The exquisitely worked, separate lotus stems, bands and
earrings are hallmarks of the finest work from Dolonnor
in Inner Mongolia, which catered to the rapid expansion
of Tibetan Buddhist temples along the border regions of
the Qing empire, particularly under the Qianlong emperor
(1735-1795). However, there is flair and creativity about
the present sculpture that may indicate it even slightly
predates his reign.
Shape: Statue
Weight: 302 grams
Dimensions: Height 20,5 cm
Condition: Good original condition. Some inlaid coral and
turquoise pearls as well as parts of the left band and the
lotus flowers missing
Provenance: Hungarian private collection. Old collector
label with description on the bottom
Literature comparison: The treatment of common stylistic
features, such as the large pendant earrings, long chain
necklace, and the broad, smooth lotus petals around the
base, compare favorably with a Manjushri in the Rietberg
Museum, and figures of Ushnishavijaya and Maitreya
in the Jacques Marchais Museum of Tibetan Art, New
York (see Uhlig On the Path to Enlightenment, Zurich,
1990, p.114, no.65; and Lipton & Ragnubs, Treasures of
Tibetan Art, New York, 1996, pp.116 & 140, nos.51 & 68,
respectively). Further examples in the Kandell Collection
are published in Rhie & Thurman, A Shrine for Tibet, New
York, 2010, pp.76-9, nos. I-14a, b & I-15a, b.
Auction result comparison: Fine Chinese Ceramics and
Works of Art. Christies, New York, 16 September 2016, lot
1231. (for another Qianlong cast and repoussé Syamatara)
IMAGES OF DEVOTION. Bonham’s, 3 October 2017,
HONG KONG, lot 36. (for another Dollonor Syamatara)
18ᶾ䲨㶭ẋ曺戭挷慹䵈⹎㭵
曺戭炻挷慹⍂⮎炻拦剙晽⇣炻䍲䐂⍲䵈㜦䞛䎈搚⳴炻⸽悐ㅱ
䁢⍇⮩
Dollonor㔯⊾炻㶭㛅炻18ᶾ䲨
⑩䚠列⤥炻悐↮㛸㕁仢⣙
⊰䈁⇑䥩Ṣ㓞啷
EstimateġEUR 1.000,-
Starting price EUR 500,-
120
A SMALL GILT-COPPER ALLOY FIGURE OF
SYAMATARA, TIBET, 15TH/16TH CENTURY
Cast and chased copper alloy with massive fire gilding
and remainders of old pigments. The base originally
sealed
th
Tibet, 15 -16 century
th
Elegantly seated in lalitasana on a double-lotus pedestal,
the hands in varada mudra and vitarka mudra, flanked
by two lotuses rising to the shoulders, the serene face
framed by an elaborate tiara and earrings, wearing a
dhoti delicately adorned with beaded necklaces, armlets
and bracelets.
The present lot demonstrates an excellent craftsmanship
of the 15th century by showing a well-proportioned
body with an elegantly-curved torso and a delicate
execution on the jewel adornments. Tara is represented
here as an elegant and slender goddess, superbly cast
with long graceful fingers, finely chased details and inset
turquoise and coral jewelry. Her crown supports a single
strand of pearls that loops across her forehead.
The spiritual and compassionate Tara is highly
revered in Tibet as a female Bodhisattva, considered
as the Goddess of Universal Compassion and the
manifestation of the actions of all Buddhas. There are
twenty-one forms of Tara and the two most popular
ones are the Green Tara, or Syamatara, and the
White Tara. Green Tara has the special power to help
overcome dangers, fears and anxieties as well as grant
wishes. It is venerated as a liberator from samsara,
the chain of birth and rebirth in the illusory material
realm. According to myth, she emerged from the
tears of Avalokiteshvara as he wept for the suffering
of all sentient beings. It is a testament to the supreme
compassion and agency she embodies. As such she
is depicted with her right leg outstretched, ready to
respond to one’s suffering, and her right hand in the
gesture of charity.
Shape: Statue 15/16ᶾ䲨挷慹戭⎰慹䵈⹎㭵⁷
Weight: 214 grams 戭⎰慹炻挷慹梥㺧炻⸽⹏⍇⮩
Dimensions: Height 11,2 cm 大啷炻15-16ᶾ䲨
Condition: Outstanding condition with some wear and ⃒晭⛘⛸⛐暁咖剙⣑䌳⹏ᶲ炻ㇳ⏰咖剙㊯冯ⶫ㕥⌘炻ℑ㜇咖剙攟军偑㕩炻厗渿䘬柕梦⍲
traces of age as expected on a piece from this period, 俛⡄ᶳ㚱叿⬱娛䘬朊⭡炻㏕惵⾝䎈枭拲ˣ兪䪈⍲ㇳ䑘ˤ
some of the inlaid corals and turquoises missing. 忁⮲⹎㭵⁷䨈举⎰⹎䘬幓幨冯⃒晭⟹✳䘬⦧ン炻㏕惵䳘兑晽⇣䘬䎈⮞惵ẞ炻⬴伶䘬⯽䎦
Remainders of old pigments 䘬15ᶾ䲨䘬晽⇣ⶍ喅ˤ⹎㭵䁢ᶨ檀屜⮲䇝䘬䤆䣯炻㚱叿ᾖ攟䘬ㇳ㊯炻䱦䶣晽⇣⍲搚⳴䘬
Provenance: Hungarian private collection 䎈⮞惵ẞˤ⤡䘬柕ⅈᶲ㚱ᶨᷚ䑘⼊䘬䍵䎈ˤ
⛐大啷炻℟㚱ヰず⣏ッ䘬㜄㭵ḇ塓⮲䧙䁢⤛厑啑ˤ⹎㭵ℙ㚱21䧖㱽䚠炻℞ᷕ㚨䞍⎵䘬䁢
Literature comparison: Casey Singer & Denwood, 䵈⹎㭵ẍ⍲䘥⹎㭵ˤ䵈⹎㭵傥妋㓹ℓ⣏劎暋炻㴰昌䛦䓇䄑゙炻㺧嵛栀㯪ˤ
Toward a Definition of Style, p. 74, no. 52. (for a ⼊䉨烉⹎㭵⁷
Dakini held in The Los Angeles County Museum of Art 慵慷烉214⃳
(M85.221), showing a comparable treatment of the ⯢⮠烉檀11.2⍀䰛
base’s lotus petals) Uhlig, On the Path to Enlightenment, ⑩䚠⬴⤥炻冯⸜ẋ䚠䫎炻ᶨṃ搚⳴䘬䍲䐂⍲䵈⮞䞛仢⣙炻冲⍇㕁ˤ
p. 153, p. 98. (for a comparable base of a 14th century ⊰䈁⇑䥩Ṣ㓞啷
figure of Ushnishavijaya in the Museum Rietberg) 㔯䌣⍫侫烉ᶨẞ⎗⍫侫䘬匤⎱⯤⁷夳Casey Singer & Denwood叿˪Toward a Definition
of Style˫炻䫔74枩炻䶐嘇52ˤ⎎ᶨẞ14ᶾ䲨䘬⮲⊅ἃ㭵⁷⍫夳Uhlig 叿˪On the Path to
Auction result comparison: ARTS D’ASIE. Sotheby’s, 23 Enlightenment˫炻䫔153枩炻䶐嘇98ˤ
JUNE 2016, PARIS, lot 132. (for a comparable copper
th
th
alloy statue dated to the 14 /15 century, with the EstimateġEUR 1.500,-
same size and motif) Starting price EUR 750,-
121