Song‑Dynasty Painted‑Clay Seated Shakyamuni Buddha

拍品描述

Dimensions: 74 cm (29.13 in) high, 42 cm (16.54 in) wide, 10th-13th century. Condition and Provenance: The sculpture is intact, connected to its original molded clay square base, without major damage or large-scale loss. The original painted layers on the Buddha's headdress, face, and robe have peeled and delaminated extensively over the centuries. Ancient green, red, and white pigments remain on the folds, pleats, and edges of the robe. The clay core is covered with fine, naturally dried shrinkage cracks, and there are slight ancient dents at the corners of the base, as well as historical dirt on the surface. This Buddha has not undergone any modern restoration, repainting, chemical sealing, or artificial coloring, and retains its original weathered appearance. This Buddha comes from a private collection in Bangkok, Thailand. Many years ago, a professional collector specializing in East Asian Buddhist sculptures acquired this Buddha statue from a long-established collector in China. Since then, it has been kept in a temperature- and humidity-controlled professional artifact warehouse for private appreciation and academic research, never consigned for auction, nor publicly exhibited. Description: This Song Dynasty painted clay Shakyamuni Buddha statue is sculpted from clay and painted with polychrome pigments. It is seated in a half-lotus position, with the hand gestures being the giving mudra (gesture of generosity). The Buddha employs both mudras and abhaya mudras (gestures of reassurance). Its head is prominent, with a raised crown and three-dimensionally curled hair in a snail shape. The facial contours are full and soft, with a serene and compassionate expression. The robes are layered, with smooth and realistic lines, and the waistband details are exquisite, highlighting the heavy folds of the garments. The Buddha statue and its base are seamlessly integrated, sculpted from thick clay. Multiple layers of residual red, green, and white paint traces demonstrate the superb modeling and painting techniques of the Song Dynasty. Well-preserved large Song Dynasty clay Buddha statues are extremely rare. Despite the signs of age on the clay body and base, the Buddha statue still maintains a balanced proportion and powerful spiritual energy, making it of extremely high value for collection and research. It is of great significance to Song Dynasty Buddhist iconography, ancient clay sculpture techniques, and religious art.

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