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拍品编号：0182
估价：GBP100,000—150,000
成交价：暂无数据
拍卖时间：2019-11-06 上午11:30
拍卖地点：伦敦
拍卖公司：伦敦蘇富比
简介：详情
A LARGE GILT-LACQUERED BRONZE FIGURE OF AVALOKITESHVARA
MING DYNASTY, 15TH/16TH CENTURY
明十五/十六世纪 漆金铜观音菩萨坐像
cast seated in dhyanasana with the right hand lowered in varadamudra, while the left held in abhayamudra, dressed in loose robes elaborately decorated with floral borders, further embellished with beaded jewellery around the chest, the face with serene expression and downcast eyes, the hair gathered into a high chignon save for two long plaits falling off the shoulders, framed by an elaborate headdress in openwork centred by the Amitabha Buddha
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Impressive for its large proportions and crisp casting, this figure appears to depict Avalokitesvara, the bodhisattva of Compassion and Mercy, recognisable from the small figure of Amithaba Buddha in his crown. Adorned with luxurious necklaces and earrings and a tall floral crown, the bodhisattva is shown seated with his legs crossed, his head and eyelids slightly lowered in a contemplative gaze, which captures his inner tranquillity and spiritual peace. The figure was covered overall in a thick layer of gilt lacquer, which is still visible in places, providing a glimpse of its original splendour.
Stylistically this figure follows in the sculptural tradition of the Yuan dynasty (1279-1368), when Tibetan Buddhism became the court religion. The Mongol court intensified political, religious and artistic contacts with Tibet, which resulted in the emergence of a new style of Buddhist art. With the founding of the Ming dynasty, Tibetan-Buddhist sculptures continued to exert a strong influence, and under the patronage of the Yongle Emperor (r. 1403-1424), Tibetan and Nepalese artisans were employed in Beijing to furnish the halls and palaces in the newly-established capital. By the 16th and 17th centuries, Buddhist gilt-bronze figures gradually moved away from Tibetan models and began to depict Avalokitesvara with feminine features. This piece appears to represent an intermediary stage between these two sculptural traditions; the figure’s well-defined waist and bare chest adorned with beaded jewellery recall the gilt-bronze sculptures of the early 15th century, while the slightly stiff pose, small lips and upturned chin, as well as its floral earrings and crown are precursors of late Ming dynasty sculptures.
Avalokitesvara is the most popular bodhisattva in Mahayana Buddhism, and is known in China as Guanyin, short for Guanshiyin (The one who perceives the sounds of the word). As the earthly manifestation of Amitabha Buddha, his crown features an image of a meditating Amithaba. Guanyin is described in Chapter 25 of the Lotus Sutra, first translated in Chinese in AD 286, where the bodhisattva is referred to as Lokesvara (Lord of all beings) and Lokenath (Lord and protector of all beings). In this text, Buddha describes Guanyin as the one who compassionately provides release and deliverance to all those that suffer, characteristics embodied in this figure through its hand gesture: the varadamudra expresses the deity’s compassion and devotion to the salvation of all sentient beings, while the abhayamudra symbolises protection and peace.
Such large figures of the bodhisattva Avalokitesvara are unusual, and no closely related example appears to have been published. Compare gilt-bronze figures of bodhisattvas attributed to the 16th and 17th century, such as two slightly smaller examples sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, the first, 30th/31st October 1994, lot 394 (one of two figures), and the second, 30th April 1995, lot 606. See also a larger gilt-bronze figure, attributed to the 15th century, offered in our Hong Kong rooms, 8th October 2009, lot 1725.
本像尺寸庞大，铸工精湛，刻划观音菩萨，凭其顶戴阿弥陀佛可辨。观音戴华美项链，耳环及高冠，冠饰花卉，盘腿而坐，垂首第眉作沉思状，面相慈悲。此像原本施厚重漆金，部份现时仍旧可见，透露古物原有风华。
藏传佛教于元朝成为宫廷宗教，本像依照元代造像传统风格制成。蒙古宫廷与西藏于政治、宗教及艺术等各方面建立更紧密之联系，从而发展佛教艺术新风。明代开国后，藏传佛教仍具影响力，永乐帝（1403-1424年在位）支持朝廷聘请西藏及尼泊尔艺匠润饰新都宫殿，时至十六及十七世纪，鎏金铜佛像逐渐远离西藏风格，观音像更具女性特征。本像似属两种造像传统之过渡风格，腰肢明显、胸膛饰华丽珠宝，带有十五世纪初期鎏金铜造像风格，而坐姿端正，小嘴唇、下颔上翘、耳环饰花卉、寳冠等则为晚明造像之前身。
观世音，亦称观音，乃大乘佛教当中信众最广之菩萨，顶戴阿弥陀佛。《妙法莲华经》述，佛祖形容观音普度众生，救苦救难，本像一手结施愿印，表现观音慈悲，一手结无畏印，象征平安。
尺寸如本品庞大之观音菩萨像身为鲜见，疑为孤例。比较数件鎏金铜像作例，断代十六及十七世纪，两例售于香港苏富比，尺寸较小，其一售于1994年10月30/31日，编号394（两像其中一像），其二售于1995年4月30日，编号606。另比一例，尺寸较大，断代十五世纪，售于香港苏富比2009年10月8日，编号1725。
拍品分类：佛教文物>佛教文物其它
拍卖会：2019年11月拍卖会
拍卖专场：重要中国艺术
预展时间：2019年11月4日-5日
预展地点：伦敦
