Early Buddhist Sculpture
See also : Buddhism India Archaic China Song and Yuan Japan Tibet and Nepal Ancient sculpture
Chronology : 1-1000 1000-1150 1150-1300
Chronology : 1-1000 1000-1150 1150-1300
Asceticism in Gandhara
2011 SOLD 4.45 M$ including premium
Buddhist iconography offers a full range of symbolic gestures and postures of Buddha. 1600 to 1800 years ago, the artists of the Gandhara, this crossroads of civilizations in the upper basin of the Indus, were particularly interested in his asceticism.
When he discovered the suffering and gave up his social status, Siddhartha tried to reach nirvana by a total asceticism. After six years of this life of renunciation, he realized that this extreme practice did not bring the solution and he achieved the awakening that enabled him to provide his teaching. Buddhism was born.
A schist figure of Gandhara 80 cm high, for sale by Christie's in New York on March 22, shows Siddhartha during this period. The body is skeletal, but the attitude shows that his powers are exacerbated by fasting. He sits cross-legged on the sacred grass. Below him, in a frieze, his followers pray.
Farther than asceticism, this realistic statue has a universal value by its representation of the self-control. It is a masterpiece, estimated $ 4M.
POST SALE COMMENT
I had no doubt about the importance of this work. Sold $ 4.45 million including premium, it has however not exceeded the expected price.
When he discovered the suffering and gave up his social status, Siddhartha tried to reach nirvana by a total asceticism. After six years of this life of renunciation, he realized that this extreme practice did not bring the solution and he achieved the awakening that enabled him to provide his teaching. Buddhism was born.
A schist figure of Gandhara 80 cm high, for sale by Christie's in New York on March 22, shows Siddhartha during this period. The body is skeletal, but the attitude shows that his powers are exacerbated by fasting. He sits cross-legged on the sacred grass. Below him, in a frieze, his followers pray.
Farther than asceticism, this realistic statue has a universal value by its representation of the self-control. It is a masterpiece, estimated $ 4M.
POST SALE COMMENT
I had no doubt about the importance of this work. Sold $ 4.45 million including premium, it has however not exceeded the expected price.
526 Northern Wei marble Buddhist Triad
2017 SOLD for $ 5.8M including premium by Christie's
#WorldAuctionRecord : la vente de la collection du musée #Fujita a totalisé 263 millions de dollars chez #Christies à New-York le 15 mars pic.twitter.com/D7QYaOzkcP
— Christie's Paris (@christiesparis) March 17, 2017
Tang - Ten Virtues on the Face of Buddha
2013 SOLD 40.4 MHK$ including premium
In China, the art of lacquer early enabled a polychrome figuration. It came in competition with later sculpture techniques such as bronze and ceramics.
To embody the ten virtues on the face of Buddha, a new technique identified as "dry lacquer" was developed in the Tang period. The goal was to obtain a perfect carving on a piece sufficiently light to be easily moved during the processions.
A mandrel of wood is plated with clay before being covered with the layers of lacquer-imbued hemp wherein the carving is performed. The artist has all the necessary comfort to improve his work until the desired effect is achieved. Then, wood and clay are removed.
The dry lacquer made in Tang period is extremely rare. Of course, many of these fragile pieces made to be handled have been broken over the centuries. They are so rare that we may assume that the Buddha figures using this technique were performed by a single workshop, perhaps unrelated to the imperial court.
A serene Buddha head is estimated HK $ 20M, for sale by Sotheby's in Hong Kong on October 8. The larger than life size, 46 cm high, is accentuating the majestic look. Its symbolic expression of the perfection of virtues through facial features is a masterpiece of the art of portraiture.
Here is the link to the catalog.
POST SALE COMMENT
The unusual technique and the beauty of the face of Buddha pushed this piece up to HK $ 40.4 million including premium.
To embody the ten virtues on the face of Buddha, a new technique identified as "dry lacquer" was developed in the Tang period. The goal was to obtain a perfect carving on a piece sufficiently light to be easily moved during the processions.
A mandrel of wood is plated with clay before being covered with the layers of lacquer-imbued hemp wherein the carving is performed. The artist has all the necessary comfort to improve his work until the desired effect is achieved. Then, wood and clay are removed.
The dry lacquer made in Tang period is extremely rare. Of course, many of these fragile pieces made to be handled have been broken over the centuries. They are so rare that we may assume that the Buddha figures using this technique were performed by a single workshop, perhaps unrelated to the imperial court.
A serene Buddha head is estimated HK $ 20M, for sale by Sotheby's in Hong Kong on October 8. The larger than life size, 46 cm high, is accentuating the majestic look. Its symbolic expression of the perfection of virtues through facial features is a masterpiece of the art of portraiture.
Here is the link to the catalog.
POST SALE COMMENT
The unusual technique and the beauty of the face of Buddha pushed this piece up to HK $ 40.4 million including premium.
The Bodhisattva of the Tang
2017 SOLD for HK$ 21.7M including premium
The Tang emperors had an ambiguous attitude towards Buddhism, sometimes attracted by its supposed mystical powers and sometimes resolutely hostile. Under that dynasty Buddhism has a deep esoteric tendency which puts forward at the side of Buddha the Wise the universal intercessor, the bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara.
The dry lacquer sculpture constructed and carved as a thin layer removed from over a wooden mandrel is used to obtain figures of high naturalism in the lines and in the expression of the face. The lightness of the piece allows an easy transport in procession but the difficulty of execution has limited the production and the surviving pieces are of the greatest rarity.
Two larger-than-life heads made with an identical technique were certainly produced in the same workshop for the same religious use, perhaps at the time of the Taoist emperor Xuanzong whose reign started 1300 years ago and lasted more than 40 years. The fleshy faces have an obvious similarity although the bodhisattva looks younger.
The figure of Buddha, 46 cm high, was sold for HK $ 40.4M including premium by Sotheby's on October 8, 2013 over a lower estimate of HK $ 20M.
The figure of Avalokiteshvara is 43 cm high including a tall bun. It is estimated HK $ 18M for sale by Sotheby's in Hong Kong on April 4, lot 3015.
Virtually forgotten in China after its very short period discussed above, the technique of dry lacquer was exported to Japan at the time of the persecutions of the later Tang against Buddhism.
The dry lacquer sculpture constructed and carved as a thin layer removed from over a wooden mandrel is used to obtain figures of high naturalism in the lines and in the expression of the face. The lightness of the piece allows an easy transport in procession but the difficulty of execution has limited the production and the surviving pieces are of the greatest rarity.
Two larger-than-life heads made with an identical technique were certainly produced in the same workshop for the same religious use, perhaps at the time of the Taoist emperor Xuanzong whose reign started 1300 years ago and lasted more than 40 years. The fleshy faces have an obvious similarity although the bodhisattva looks younger.
The figure of Buddha, 46 cm high, was sold for HK $ 40.4M including premium by Sotheby's on October 8, 2013 over a lower estimate of HK $ 20M.
The figure of Avalokiteshvara is 43 cm high including a tall bun. It is estimated HK $ 18M for sale by Sotheby's in Hong Kong on April 4, lot 3015.
Virtually forgotten in China after its very short period discussed above, the technique of dry lacquer was exported to Japan at the time of the persecutions of the later Tang against Buddhism.
A Tang Dynasty Avalokitesvara leads our Curiosity III sale selling for HK$21.7m / US$2.8m in #HongKong pic.twitter.com/lTBla1zVhg
— Sotheby's (@Sothebys) April 4, 2017
How to hold a Vajra
2013 SOLD 2.8 M$ including premium
The intellectual subtlety of Buddhism resulted in a risk for that religion to be confined in monasteries. To attract followers, ideal representations have been made to promote the main characters proposed as models.
A bodhisattva is necessarily beautiful, powerful, self-possessed, effective. His jewelry, hairdressing, clothes, are superb. The bronze allows a very fine carving and its gilding expresses the spiritual wealth. This fruitful style has produced masterpieces during several centuries.
On March 19 in New York, Christie's sells a large bodhisattva, 110 cm high, made 1100 years ago in Tibet. The 'superman' of that time shows some Nepalese influences.
The right hand is clenching on the breast an object that has disappeared. The Buddhist symbolism leaves no doubt: it was a vajra, the talisman of the absolute fight against ignorance.
In his quiet attitude, our bodhisattva is Vajrasattva, distinguished from Vajrapani brandishing the object with fury and with Vajradhara, holding the vajra in both hands, who is a quintessential Buddha.
Of course, this bodhisattva was made several centuries after the sculpted stones of Gandhara. As a gilt bronze, it is a figure of high antiquity which anticipates the preaching of Atisha and the extension of the cult of Amitabha, the Buddha of extreme bliss.
POST SALE COMMENT
The estimate was not published, but this large bronze was announced as a masterpiece. It is confirmed: $ 2.8 million including premium.
A bodhisattva is necessarily beautiful, powerful, self-possessed, effective. His jewelry, hairdressing, clothes, are superb. The bronze allows a very fine carving and its gilding expresses the spiritual wealth. This fruitful style has produced masterpieces during several centuries.
On March 19 in New York, Christie's sells a large bodhisattva, 110 cm high, made 1100 years ago in Tibet. The 'superman' of that time shows some Nepalese influences.
The right hand is clenching on the breast an object that has disappeared. The Buddhist symbolism leaves no doubt: it was a vajra, the talisman of the absolute fight against ignorance.
In his quiet attitude, our bodhisattva is Vajrasattva, distinguished from Vajrapani brandishing the object with fury and with Vajradhara, holding the vajra in both hands, who is a quintessential Buddha.
Of course, this bodhisattva was made several centuries after the sculpted stones of Gandhara. As a gilt bronze, it is a figure of high antiquity which anticipates the preaching of Atisha and the extension of the cult of Amitabha, the Buddha of extreme bliss.
POST SALE COMMENT
The estimate was not published, but this large bronze was announced as a masterpiece. It is confirmed: $ 2.8 million including premium.
early Song - The Partners of Amitabha
2019 SOLD for HK$ 45M including premium
Amitabha is the Buddha of supreme bliss, the guarantor of a perfect world. He is unattainable by humans. Intercession is performed by bodhisattvas. Antique Buddhist sculptures often show a triad centered by Amitabha with Avalokiteshvara on his left side and Mahasthamaprapta on his right side. They are sometimes surrounded by celestial angels.
The two bodhisattvas appear as identically dressed twins. They nevertheless have separate roles. Avalokiteshvara brings the infinite compassion and Mahasthamaprapta the power of wisdom. The main difference is the ornamentation of the frontal crown, a figure of Amitabha for Avalokiteshvara and the urn of wisdom for Mahasthamaprapta. In China they are respectively named Guanyin and Dashizhi.
Carved in the early Tang dynasty, a pair of limestone bodhisattvas 67 cm high was separated by Christie's on September 13, 2018, fetching $ 3.25M and $ 2M including premium.
Buddhism is persecuted in China from the reign of the Wuzong emperor of the Tang dynasty. The period of the five short-lived dynasties that follow each other from 907 to 960 CE after the fall of the Tang remains for Buddhism a period of weakness before its renewal under the Song. The altar figures are now made of wood, cheaper than bronze or stone. Polychromy is still applied.
On May 29 in Hong Kong, Christie's sells a pair of wooden bodhisattvas, lot 2713 estimated HK $ 40M. They are standing in an identical attitude in mirror inversion, for flanking an Amitabha that has disappeared. They are 145 cm high without including their modern stands. Traces of pigments have been preserved. Please watch the video where the sequences alternate with a monumental Qing Buddha.
Some details including the fishnet pattern of the necklace are typical of the early Song. A departure from the Buddhist canon during the dark period has lengthened the legs and slightly reduced heads and necks.
The two bodhisattvas appear as identically dressed twins. They nevertheless have separate roles. Avalokiteshvara brings the infinite compassion and Mahasthamaprapta the power of wisdom. The main difference is the ornamentation of the frontal crown, a figure of Amitabha for Avalokiteshvara and the urn of wisdom for Mahasthamaprapta. In China they are respectively named Guanyin and Dashizhi.
Carved in the early Tang dynasty, a pair of limestone bodhisattvas 67 cm high was separated by Christie's on September 13, 2018, fetching $ 3.25M and $ 2M including premium.
Buddhism is persecuted in China from the reign of the Wuzong emperor of the Tang dynasty. The period of the five short-lived dynasties that follow each other from 907 to 960 CE after the fall of the Tang remains for Buddhism a period of weakness before its renewal under the Song. The altar figures are now made of wood, cheaper than bronze or stone. Polychromy is still applied.
On May 29 in Hong Kong, Christie's sells a pair of wooden bodhisattvas, lot 2713 estimated HK $ 40M. They are standing in an identical attitude in mirror inversion, for flanking an Amitabha that has disappeared. They are 145 cm high without including their modern stands. Traces of pigments have been preserved. Please watch the video where the sequences alternate with a monumental Qing Buddha.
Some details including the fishnet pattern of the necklace are typical of the early Song. A departure from the Buddhist canon during the dark period has lengthened the legs and slightly reduced heads and necks.
Song - A Visit to Guanyin
2017 SOLD for € 2.47M including premium
The bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara is a favorite of the faithful in his role of relieving the humans from suffering and of showing the path. He can simultaneously take an unlimited number of appearances to perform the necessary actions for the happiness of the world.
The arrival of Buddhism in China generated important transformations of this bodhisattva who took the name Guanyin. After the Tang Dynasty, Guanyin finally lost his mustache, became an androgynous figure and was revered as a female deity.
To fully exercise her vocation, Guanyin must be accessible. The Chinese located her personal paradise where she could be seen in meditation by the lucky ones. This drift no longer meets the Sanskrit canon but generates another one in which 33 main attitudes are described. The statues of the temples simulate the accessibility of Guanyin in her paradise.
The Shuiyue Guanyin meditation (Guanyin on the reflection of the Moon in Water) is venerated since the transition period between the Tang and Song Dynasties. Guanyin is relaxed and smiling. She sits flexibly on a rock, her body very slightly leaning backwards, one leg bent up and the other resting or hanging. The left hand is placed on the rock and the right forearm on the bent knee.
The sizes of these polychrome wooden statues vary according to the altar for which they are intended. It is difficult to identify their origin between the Song and their rival neighbors Liao and Jin who treated Guanyin's iconography in a similar way. The Nelson Atkins Museum owns a 2.40 m high specimen announced as Liao or Jin, and the British Museum a 1.70 m high specimen announced as Song or Jin.
On December 16 in Paris (Hôtel Drouot), Leclere sells as lot 88 a Shuiyue Guanyin with the bent up leg, 102 cm high, announced as Song. Sharply chiseled and in very good condition, it still has wide traces of polychromy and has never met the xylophages. I guess that it was designed to sit on the edge of a table and has never been integrated on a rock.
LATER COMMENT
A Guanyin 131 cm high had been sold for € 5.2M including premium by Christie's on December 14, 2016 over a lower estimate of € 200K, lot 27.
The arrival of Buddhism in China generated important transformations of this bodhisattva who took the name Guanyin. After the Tang Dynasty, Guanyin finally lost his mustache, became an androgynous figure and was revered as a female deity.
To fully exercise her vocation, Guanyin must be accessible. The Chinese located her personal paradise where she could be seen in meditation by the lucky ones. This drift no longer meets the Sanskrit canon but generates another one in which 33 main attitudes are described. The statues of the temples simulate the accessibility of Guanyin in her paradise.
The Shuiyue Guanyin meditation (Guanyin on the reflection of the Moon in Water) is venerated since the transition period between the Tang and Song Dynasties. Guanyin is relaxed and smiling. She sits flexibly on a rock, her body very slightly leaning backwards, one leg bent up and the other resting or hanging. The left hand is placed on the rock and the right forearm on the bent knee.
The sizes of these polychrome wooden statues vary according to the altar for which they are intended. It is difficult to identify their origin between the Song and their rival neighbors Liao and Jin who treated Guanyin's iconography in a similar way. The Nelson Atkins Museum owns a 2.40 m high specimen announced as Liao or Jin, and the British Museum a 1.70 m high specimen announced as Song or Jin.
On December 16 in Paris (Hôtel Drouot), Leclere sells as lot 88 a Shuiyue Guanyin with the bent up leg, 102 cm high, announced as Song. Sharply chiseled and in very good condition, it still has wide traces of polychromy and has never met the xylophages. I guess that it was designed to sit on the edge of a table and has never been integrated on a rock.
LATER COMMENT
A Guanyin 131 cm high had been sold for € 5.2M including premium by Christie's on December 14, 2016 over a lower estimate of € 200K, lot 27.
#Trésoràvendre Une statue de Guanyin, déesse de la compassion, datée de la période Song chez @DamienLeclere
— Connaissancedesarts (@Cdesarts) December 9, 2017
Lire : https://t.co/j3ZbroNg7K pic.twitter.com/Y03vWo5RM6
A Liao Buddha
2016 SOLD for € 13.6M including premium by Christie's
narrated in 2020
In 907 CE the fall of the Tang creates a political fragmentation of China, opening the period of the Five Dynasties. The Liao dynasty dominates for two centuries a vast territory from northern China to Mongolia.
In this period, Buddhist iconography is inspired by Tang figures. Gradually, the return of apocalyptic predictions brings a need to protect the knowledge and strengthens the worship of Maitreya.
Many figures are in painted wood or in clay. Gilded bronze is very rare and reserved for pieces of the utmost luxury. A 21 cm high deity from the beginning of this period, who may be Avalokitesvara or Maitreya, was sold for $ 2.5M including premium by Christie's on March 19, 2008.
A Vairocana Buddha 24 cm high in gilded solid bronze was sold for € 13.6M including premium by Christie's on December 14, 2016, lot 53. This piece, made in the 11th century CE, bears an administrative Liao inscription, unfortunately undated, which attests to its importance.
This figure has some exceptional characteristics. Vairocana is the primordial Buddha. His high tiara is centered with an image of Buddha and integrates into the crown the five cosmic Buddhas, the Tathagatas. His fists are joined in the gesture of knowledge. He is seated on a lotus whose stylized leaves are curiously overflowing. The figuration of jewelry and drapery is luxurious.
In this period, Buddhist iconography is inspired by Tang figures. Gradually, the return of apocalyptic predictions brings a need to protect the knowledge and strengthens the worship of Maitreya.
Many figures are in painted wood or in clay. Gilded bronze is very rare and reserved for pieces of the utmost luxury. A 21 cm high deity from the beginning of this period, who may be Avalokitesvara or Maitreya, was sold for $ 2.5M including premium by Christie's on March 19, 2008.
A Vairocana Buddha 24 cm high in gilded solid bronze was sold for € 13.6M including premium by Christie's on December 14, 2016, lot 53. This piece, made in the 11th century CE, bears an administrative Liao inscription, unfortunately undated, which attests to its importance.
This figure has some exceptional characteristics. Vairocana is the primordial Buddha. His high tiara is centered with an image of Buddha and integrates into the crown the five cosmic Buddhas, the Tathagatas. His fists are joined in the gesture of knowledge. He is seated on a lotus whose stylized leaves are curiously overflowing. The figuration of jewelry and drapery is luxurious.
#AuctionResult: Statue du Bouddha Vairocana vendue pour 13,570,500€ chez #ChristiesParis #worldrecord pour un bronze Liao pic.twitter.com/mHBTfyEVwJ
— Christie's Paris (@christiesparis) December 14, 2016
A Pala Buddha from Bihar
2017 SOLD for HK$ 22M including premium
The Buddhist art of northeastern India reached its culmination at the end of the Pala period. An Avalokiteshvara in black stone with a museum history was sold for $ 24.7M including premium by Christie's on March 14, 2017.
In 1930 a hoard including about 150 metal sculptures is unearthed in Kurkihar in present-day Bihar. Such a regrouping necessarily means the former presence in that place of a very important sanctuary whose history was erased when the Buddhist monasteries were destroyed to the ground by the Muslims. Preserved in the Patna Museum, this treasure has not been dissociated.
On October 3 in Hong Kong, Bonhams sells a 39 cm high Buddha, lot 16 estimated HK $ 8M. This statuette, made about 950 to 900 years ago in copper alloy inlaid with silver and copper, perfectly matches the style of the Kurkihar figures. In very good condition, it has a rich black patina due to ancient exposure to incense fumes. Like most Pala bronzes it has not been gilded.
Buddha stands on a double lotus. His figuration departs from the antique Buddhist iconography by the crown and by the simulation of jewels, two characteristics that will become common in their turn slightly later. In the opposite the expressive position of the fingers is a classical symbol.
The Pala Buddha is the second of three lots discussed by Bonhams in the video below, following a Tibetan bronze previously announced in this column.
In 1930 a hoard including about 150 metal sculptures is unearthed in Kurkihar in present-day Bihar. Such a regrouping necessarily means the former presence in that place of a very important sanctuary whose history was erased when the Buddhist monasteries were destroyed to the ground by the Muslims. Preserved in the Patna Museum, this treasure has not been dissociated.
On October 3 in Hong Kong, Bonhams sells a 39 cm high Buddha, lot 16 estimated HK $ 8M. This statuette, made about 950 to 900 years ago in copper alloy inlaid with silver and copper, perfectly matches the style of the Kurkihar figures. In very good condition, it has a rich black patina due to ancient exposure to incense fumes. Like most Pala bronzes it has not been gilded.
Buddha stands on a double lotus. His figuration departs from the antique Buddhist iconography by the crown and by the simulation of jewels, two characteristics that will become common in their turn slightly later. In the opposite the expressive position of the fingers is a classical symbol.
The Pala Buddha is the second of three lots discussed by Bonhams in the video below, following a Tibetan bronze previously announced in this column.
#SaleUpdate the Sonnery Kurkihar Buddha Copper Alloy just achieved HK$21,9M (£2.1M) in Hong Kong pic.twitter.com/wpeoykzPa6
— Bonhams (@bonhams1793) October 3, 2017
The Charming Pala Prince
2017 SOLD for $ 24.7M including premium
The dynasty which reigned through four centuries over Bengal and Bihar is identified as Pala, a suffix meaning "protector" that was added to the personal name of each monarch.
Three religions cohabitated : Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism. They shared a same preoccupation of regulating the communication between the divine and the mortal. In Buddhism this function is assured by the bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara.
On March 14 in New York, Christie's sells as lot 233 a statue realized in the later phase of the Pala period around 900 years ago.
The young man sits on a thick lotus, one leg bent and the other hanging. This figure is carved in a black stone similar to a schist which was widely used in the Pala steles and whose hardness enables a great sharpness of sculpture.
He necessarily has all the qualities. The spectacular dynamism of the attitude appeals to dialogue with the faithful. He is a prince elegantly dressed with a profusion of pectoral jewels chiseled in the stone but he also is an ascetic recognizable by his braided hair. His belonging to Buddhism is identified by Amitabha hidden in a fold of the tiara : he is altogether Avalokiteshvara, the all-seeing lord, and Lokanatha, the savior of the world.
The character is life-size in this 148 cm high statue. Such characteristics unusual in Buddhist art suggests that it was the main devotional figure in a temple specially dedicated to Avalokiteshvara.
It was from 1922 an important piece in the collection of Indian art of the Boston Museum before being de-accessionned in 1935 for a trade with another statue of the same culture. The arms and nose were missing. The nose was later rebuilt.
Three religions cohabitated : Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism. They shared a same preoccupation of regulating the communication between the divine and the mortal. In Buddhism this function is assured by the bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara.
On March 14 in New York, Christie's sells as lot 233 a statue realized in the later phase of the Pala period around 900 years ago.
The young man sits on a thick lotus, one leg bent and the other hanging. This figure is carved in a black stone similar to a schist which was widely used in the Pala steles and whose hardness enables a great sharpness of sculpture.
He necessarily has all the qualities. The spectacular dynamism of the attitude appeals to dialogue with the faithful. He is a prince elegantly dressed with a profusion of pectoral jewels chiseled in the stone but he also is an ascetic recognizable by his braided hair. His belonging to Buddhism is identified by Amitabha hidden in a fold of the tiara : he is altogether Avalokiteshvara, the all-seeing lord, and Lokanatha, the savior of the world.
The character is life-size in this 148 cm high statue. Such characteristics unusual in Buddhist art suggests that it was the main devotional figure in a temple specially dedicated to Avalokiteshvara.
It was from 1922 an important piece in the collection of Indian art of the Boston Museum before being de-accessionned in 1935 for a trade with another statue of the same culture. The arms and nose were missing. The nose was later rebuilt.
#AsianArtWeek : du 14 au 17 mars @ChristiesInc organise une série de ventes consacrées à l’art d’Asie https://t.co/RTGNrQolil pic.twitter.com/ampK2u6qRS
— Christie's Paris (@christiesparis) March 13, 2017
A Jin Buddha
2019 SOLD for HK$ 17M including premium
The Song dynasty did not control the entire Chinese territory. In the north the Liao empire extended to the Mongolian steppes. Buddhism was practiced and protected in the two rival empires.
The Jin defeated the Liao and the Song. They destroyed the Liao empire in 1125 CE. Two years later, they conquered the most important part of the empire of the Song who nevertheless managed to maintain their power in the south of the country. The Mongol conquest eliminates the Jin in 1234 CE.
The Jin are foreigners : they belong to the Manchu ethnic group of the Jürchens. To consolidate their control over the conquered territories, they abandon their traditional shamanism and adopt Buddhism and Taoism. They become great protectors of Buddhism, commenting and editing the sacred texts.
After the Buddhist debacle that had begun under the later Tang, the Liao and the Song focused on recreating appealing places of worship. Large polychrome wooden statues depicting the deities adorn the entrances to the temples. The Jin continue this new practice.
Buddha, Amitabha and the bodhisattvas must be easily recognizable by the faithful who have to learn their respective attributions.
For that purpose the artists follow the canon that defines the features of the deities, with a human appearance of great realism associated with a dignified meditation. Only tiny details make it possible to evaluate an origin or a chronology. The statues are sometimes larger than life.
A 117 cm high polychrome Song Guanyin seated in a lotus position passed at Christie's on December 2, 2015. In a similar sitting attitude, a 122 cm high Shakyamuni Buddha from the Jin with traces of original polychrome pigments is estimated HK $ 16M for sale by Sotheby's in Hong Kong on October 8, lot 3629.
The Jin defeated the Liao and the Song. They destroyed the Liao empire in 1125 CE. Two years later, they conquered the most important part of the empire of the Song who nevertheless managed to maintain their power in the south of the country. The Mongol conquest eliminates the Jin in 1234 CE.
The Jin are foreigners : they belong to the Manchu ethnic group of the Jürchens. To consolidate their control over the conquered territories, they abandon their traditional shamanism and adopt Buddhism and Taoism. They become great protectors of Buddhism, commenting and editing the sacred texts.
After the Buddhist debacle that had begun under the later Tang, the Liao and the Song focused on recreating appealing places of worship. Large polychrome wooden statues depicting the deities adorn the entrances to the temples. The Jin continue this new practice.
Buddha, Amitabha and the bodhisattvas must be easily recognizable by the faithful who have to learn their respective attributions.
For that purpose the artists follow the canon that defines the features of the deities, with a human appearance of great realism associated with a dignified meditation. Only tiny details make it possible to evaluate an origin or a chronology. The statues are sometimes larger than life.
A 117 cm high polychrome Song Guanyin seated in a lotus position passed at Christie's on December 2, 2015. In a similar sitting attitude, a 122 cm high Shakyamuni Buddha from the Jin with traces of original polychrome pigments is estimated HK $ 16M for sale by Sotheby's in Hong Kong on October 8, lot 3629.
Awakening with the Sage
2015 SOLD for $ 4.9M including premium
Asian Buddhist bronzes show figures of deities that express the full range of helpful attitudes for communicating with the faithful: serenity, meditation, intimidation. The portraits of actual personalities are scarce.
The collector Robert Hatfield Ellsworth liked to surround himself with his favorite pieces scattered in his huge apartment in Manhattan. On the headboard of his bedroom, his preferred bronze greeted his awakening every morning. He named it his Yogi.
This statuette 32 cm high is the portrait of a sage seated in the lotus position. The wide open eyes indicate his will to communicate with his visitors and classifies him among the teachers. The smooth forehead without the third eye is confirming that the model was a human.
Several elements including the fleshy body and the dense and curly hair are reminiscent of Padampa Sangye. This important mahasiddha (great Buddhist adept) was born in South India and died 900 years ago after teaching perfection in Tibet for many years.
This bronze is estimated $ 1M for sale without reserves by Christie's in New York on March 17, lot 8. The subtitle of this lot in the catalog originates it in Tibet in the 11th or 12th century of our calendar, considering in fact that this figure is contemporary of the life of the sage or slightly later.
The collector Robert Hatfield Ellsworth liked to surround himself with his favorite pieces scattered in his huge apartment in Manhattan. On the headboard of his bedroom, his preferred bronze greeted his awakening every morning. He named it his Yogi.
This statuette 32 cm high is the portrait of a sage seated in the lotus position. The wide open eyes indicate his will to communicate with his visitors and classifies him among the teachers. The smooth forehead without the third eye is confirming that the model was a human.
Several elements including the fleshy body and the dense and curly hair are reminiscent of Padampa Sangye. This important mahasiddha (great Buddhist adept) was born in South India and died 900 years ago after teaching perfection in Tibet for many years.
This bronze is estimated $ 1M for sale without reserves by Christie's in New York on March 17, lot 8. The subtitle of this lot in the catalog originates it in Tibet in the 11th or 12th century of our calendar, considering in fact that this figure is contemporary of the life of the sage or slightly later.
Five Himalayan masterpieces from the Ellsworth Collection http://t.co/AhFhM0yAb5 #ArtDigest pic.twitter.com/28TWFu2r8l
— Christie's (@ChristiesInc) March 5, 20151193 A Kamakura Buddha
2008 SOLD for $ 14.4M including premium by Christie's
narrated in 2020
In 1185 CE the Kamakura period succeeds the Heian period. The aristocracy has lost power and the Buddhist figuration is transformed, for a more monumental and popular vision.
The top artists of this transition are Kokei and his son Unkei, who are from Nara and work for the main Japanese temples. Unkei began his career before 1176 as an apprentice to his father, whom he succeeded around 1195 as the schoolhead of the Kei family.
Their figures are made of wood, assembling many elementary parts with joinery techniques. Unkei departs from the Buddhist canon by making male figures of great expressive power. He also innovates by inserting crystals in the eyes. His statuettes are hollow to contain relics, often including a wooden plaque that identifies the artist and the date.
In 2000, in an antique shop somewhere in the Japanese countryside, a collector is astonished by a wooden figure 66 cm high, which he manages to buy. The piece does not have the weight of solid wood. It is gold lacquered with pigment conservation, and the jewelry ornaments are in hammered metal. It was probably taken out of a temple during the promotion of Shinto in the Meiji period.
Three years later, the curator of sculptures at the National Museum of Tokyo confirms that this piece perfectly matches Unkei's style. Because of its fairly large size, experts consider that it can correspond to a work by Unkei made in 1193 for a funeral memorial.
The figure was perfectly sealed and has not been disassembled. By X-ray inspection, three relics are identified in its cavity : the plaque, which could not be read, a five-stage crystal pagoda symbolizing the material elements, and a crystal ball.
It matches the iconography of Dainichi Nyorai who can be indifferently considered as a Buddha or a Bodhisattva. The gesture of two closed fists one above the other and joined by the index finger of the lower hand symbolizes the knowledge.
This Japanese Buddha was sold for $ 14.4M including premium by Christie's on March 18, 2008, lot 200.
The top artists of this transition are Kokei and his son Unkei, who are from Nara and work for the main Japanese temples. Unkei began his career before 1176 as an apprentice to his father, whom he succeeded around 1195 as the schoolhead of the Kei family.
Their figures are made of wood, assembling many elementary parts with joinery techniques. Unkei departs from the Buddhist canon by making male figures of great expressive power. He also innovates by inserting crystals in the eyes. His statuettes are hollow to contain relics, often including a wooden plaque that identifies the artist and the date.
In 2000, in an antique shop somewhere in the Japanese countryside, a collector is astonished by a wooden figure 66 cm high, which he manages to buy. The piece does not have the weight of solid wood. It is gold lacquered with pigment conservation, and the jewelry ornaments are in hammered metal. It was probably taken out of a temple during the promotion of Shinto in the Meiji period.
Three years later, the curator of sculptures at the National Museum of Tokyo confirms that this piece perfectly matches Unkei's style. Because of its fairly large size, experts consider that it can correspond to a work by Unkei made in 1193 for a funeral memorial.
The figure was perfectly sealed and has not been disassembled. By X-ray inspection, three relics are identified in its cavity : the plaque, which could not be read, a five-stage crystal pagoda symbolizing the material elements, and a crystal ball.
It matches the iconography of Dainichi Nyorai who can be indifferently considered as a Buddha or a Bodhisattva. The gesture of two closed fists one above the other and joined by the index finger of the lower hand symbolizes the knowledge.
This Japanese Buddha was sold for $ 14.4M including premium by Christie's on March 18, 2008, lot 200.
