Page 22 - Christie's July 9th 2020 Hong Kong Buddhist Art Under Empire

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Early Ming dynasty Buddhist gilt-bronzes are known for their 右手結觸地印，左手結襌定印，雙足結跏趺坐於蓮花座上。蓮座為半月
exceptional qualities as exemplified by the present seated figure of 狀束腰形式，座上陰刻「大明宣德年施」款。
Shakyamuni. Of particular note is the outstanding execution of fine
details from the subtle groves to denote the facial features, realistic thin 永樂、宣德鎏金銅佛造像以其卓越的工藝為眾人所知。誠如本尊釋迦摩
folds of the robe and high relief of the lotus petals forming the base. 尼佛坐像端莊的面容、自然的衣物褶皺、高浮雕的蓮座等諸多細節處理，
As with their Mongol Yuan dynasty predecessors, the Ming regime
continued close political ties with Tibet, and with this endeavour several 均顯示製作的精美。明朝如同元代，亦與西藏保持密切聯繫，曾於明初
missions were dispatched during the early Ming period in attempt to 遣員赴藏，並將一組如本拍品的宮廷製造佛造像賞賜僧侶。
forge stronger diplomatic ties with Tibetan religious leaders. For such
missions, a number of Buddhist images similar to the present example 宣德時期為明代宮廷造像的發展時期，其風格基本承襲永樂後期的特
were commissioned as presentation gifts to Tibetan lamas. 點，但與永樂初期頗有不同，整體來說，宣德造像的軀體較壯碩，面部
更趨漢化、男性化，蓮座花瓣亦更加飽滿，尖端卷草紋更繁複。比較本
Compared with gilt-bronze figures from the early Yongle period, such
as the figure of Maitreya in the present sale, see lot 2702, Xuande 拍賣中一尊永樂早期彌勒像的風格，見拍品 2702 號。
figures have broader facial contours with less arched eyebrows and
eyes, and broader petals each with a three-point curl at the tip. Lucy T. Aldrich 女士曾贈予波士頓美術館一尊宣德款鎏金銅釋迦牟尼佛
像（27.7 公分），其風格與此尊基本相同，惟金水保存狀況欠佳，見典
The closest comparable example to the present figure is a gilt-bronze
Xuande-marked figure of Buddha (27.7 cm. high) gifted by Miss Lucy 藏編號 52.1844。
T. Aldrich to the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, see accession 另可參考 2014 年 11 月 26 日於香港佳士得拍賣拍品 3105 號（27.5 公
number: 52.1844, which is nearly identical in style to the present figure
but with extensive wear to gilding. 分）的一尊永樂款釋迦牟尼佛像，其座前方有兩孔原應固定於錘鍱座
上，如大英博物館所藏一尊，見《Arts of Asia》，1994 年 9-10 月，第
For Yongle-marked figures of Buddha, compare with an example (27.5 24 冊，頁 84，圖 5；以及 Speelman 舊藏一尊，2006 年 10 月 7 日於香
cm.) sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 26 November 2014, lot 3105, which
would have been set in a repoussé throne, such as the example in the 港蘇富比拍賣，拍品 808 號。再有一尊尺寸較小（19 公分），磨款，
British Museum, illustrated in Arts of Asia, Sept-Oct 1994, vol. 24, p. 1975 年 5 月 6 日於倫敦佳士得拍賣，拍品 32 號，載於《Indo-Tibetan
84, no. 5, and the figure formerly in the Speelman Collection, sold at Bronzes》，香港，1981 年，頁 521，圖版 146D。
Sotheby's Hong Kong, 7 October 2006, lot 808; and a smaller Yongle
figure (19 cm.) with effaced mark sold at Christie’s London, 6 May 1975,
lot 32, illustrated by Ulrich von Schroeder in Indo-Tibetan Bronzes,
Hong Kong, 1981, p. 521, no. 146D.

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