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Lot #92 - A Rare Chinese Polychrome Wood Sculpture of A Bodhisattva, Song Dynasty, 11th Century

  • Auction House:
    Mossgreen
  • Sale Name:
    The Raphy Star Collection of Important Asian Art
  • Sale Date:
    11 Dec 2016 ~ 6.30pm
  • Lot #:
    92
  • Lot Description:
    A Rare Chinese Polychrome Wood Sculpture of A Bodhisattva, Song Dynasty, 11th Century
    seated in vajrasana (lotus posture) with the head slightly tilted to one side and the eyes downcast, the hair in curls and trusses around the ushnisha, the right hand originally holding a flower, the robe falling across the high lotus pedestal
    47 cm high
  • Provenance:
    A.&J.Speelman Ltd., London, 1999
  • Notes:
    REFERENCES: A.&J. Speelman, Oriental Sculpture and Works of Art, London 1999, cat. no. 6, pp. 14-15. See Osvald Siren, Chinese Sculpture from the Fifth to the Fourteenth Century vol. 11, 1998, pl. 417B for a bronze figure in similar style; also pl. 467C & D for two similar stone heads; also see pl. 404 for a head with very similar hair style, Shanxi Province; also, Hugo Musterburg, Sculpture of the Orient, NY 1973, fig. 98; also see Complete Treasures of Chinese Fine Art, vol. 4, 2006, pl. 56, p. 55 for a very similar example in bronze, date late Tang Dynasty; also Cleveland Bulletin 1987, for a similar dry lacquer figure date late Tang Dynasty The beauty of this remarkable wooden carving of Guanyin is clearly demonstrated through the restrained, elegant depiction of the enlightened figure, carved during the last creative epoch of Chinese Buddhist sculpture. The fact that so much Buddhist sculpture from the Song period has been lost over the centuries makes this figure extremely rare. Guanyin, (originally Sanskrit Avalokitesvara), the Enlightened Bodhisattva of Compassion, is arguably the most significant religious figure in Asian art. This figure is depicted here in relaxed contemplation. There are no embellishments. Seated atop an oval lotus base, cross-legged in the half-lotus position of padmasana, with one foot exposed, and the other gently hidden beneath the bodhisattva’s robe. By contrast, Guanyin is most commonly depicted standing or seated with one leg bent and the other pendent—the pose known as “royal ease”, he is rarely depicted as seated with his legs folded as if in meditation. An exception being when he appears in scenes of the Pure Land of the Buddha Amitabha, it is possible that this sculpture may have once formed part of such a composition. The body facing forward, most typical of Song depiction, while the head is tilted softly to one side, in pensive reflection. The serene face, flanked by the traditional elongated princely earlobes. The right palm raised and turned toward the chest, with the two middle fingers touching the thumb to form a circle in a variation of the vitarka mudra. The circle, having neither a beginning or end, is the symbol of perfection, resembling the Law of Buddha which is eternal. The most striking thing about this wooden figure, is the aura that emanates from the subtle nuances most sensitively captured within the carving. References: Please see two Northern Song dynasty bodhisattvas from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY; see also the Minneapolis Institute of Art for a Seated Guanyin; Christie’s, New York, 17/3/15, lot 58; and the bronze seated bodhisattva at the Shanghai museum, as illustrated in The Shanghai Museum’s “Ancient Chinese Sculpture”, Classics Publishing House, Shanghai, 1996, pl. 57. Sally Robin
  • Estimate:
    A$100,000 - 150,000
  • Realised Price:
    *****

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  • Category:
    Oriental

This Sale has been held and this item is no longer available. Details are provided for information purposes only.



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