A GILT-BRONZE FIGURE OF BUDDHA AMITABHA, TIBET, 14TH-15TH CENTURY

拍品描述

A GILT-BRONZE FIGURE OF BUDDHA AMITABHA, TIBET, 14TH-15TH CENTURY Superbly cast, seated in dhyanasana upon a double-lotus base with beaded rims, both hands joined in dhyana mudra resting upon his lap while holding the alms bowl. The figure is clad in a diaphanous monastic robe draped over the right shoulder, leaving the chest partially exposed, the hems delicately worked with double-beaded hems and the pleats falling in graceful folds that gather in richly carved folds before his legs. The serene face is sensitively modeled with sinuously lidded eyes beneath softly arched, incised brows, centered with a raised urna, an aquiline nose, and full lips, forming a calm smile, all flanked by long, pendulous earlobes. The hair is neatly arranged in tight curls covering the domed ushnisha, which is surmounted by a bud-shaped jewel. The base sealed with a copper plate neatly incised with a double vajra. Dimensions: Height 20.8 cm The transmission of the image of the Buddha from India to Nepal and Tibet prompted, over the course of centuries, its continual adaptation to the distinct cultural and regional traditions in which it was venerated. The present sculpture draws closely upon earlier Indic models, which were also adopted into the style of the early Malla period (c. 1200-1479) from Nepal. This period broadly coincided with the Yuan dynasty in Tibet, an era ruled by Mongol emperors who supported the growth of Tibetan Buddhism, and the building of monasteries and their decorative programs. Offering their skills and mastery to these designs were craftsman hired from the Kathmandu Valley to build and decorate these religious complexes. Prototypes of the Buddha from Eastern India, more specifically the Pala Period style, can be recalled in this sculpture in the broad shoulders and the folds of the robes under the crossed ankles and the sharp lines of the eyebrows, as seen in a Bihar Buddha in the Metropolitan Museum of Art (fig. 1). The tapering of the waist and the fishtail folds along the left shoulder reference a more classical Newari style and are featured in another seated Buddha illustrated in von Schroeder, Buddhist Sculptures in Tibet, Vol. 1, Hong Kong, 2001, p. 523, pl. 170C (fig. 2). Moreover, the widened forehead, and delicate, and supple features deviate from the heavily modeled faces of the Pala period, and thus, give way to a gentler depiction of the Buddha in a style more reminiscent of early Malla Period bronzes; see a related larger gilt-bronze figure of Buddha Shakyamuni, dated 14th century, 47 cm high, at Christie’s Hong Kong, 1 June 2016, lot 3303 (fig. 3). Another example at Bonhams New York, 23 September 2020, lot 611 (fig. 4) likewise illustrates the prototype of this style which was later carried into Tibet. Literature comparison: Compare a related Tibetan gilt-bronze figure of Aksobhya, dated 15th century, 24.5 cm high, illustrated in Helmut Uhlig, On the Path to Enlightenment, The Berti Aschmann Foundation of Tibetan Art at the Museum Rietberg Zürich, 1995, p. 72, no. 30. Auction result comparison: Type: Related Auction: Bonhams Paris, 4 October 2022, lot 10 Price: EUR 63,375 or approx. EUR 72,000 adjusted for inflation at the time of writing Expert remark: Compare the similar physiognomy, facial features, and treatment of the drapery, notably the double-beaded hems. Note the similar size (19 cm), earlier dating, and cold-gilt face. Auction result comparison: Type: Related Auction: Koller Geneva, 29 October 2013, lot 104 Price: CHF 60,000 or approx. EUR 69,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing Expert remark: Compare the similar facial features and hairstyle. Note the similar size (18.5 cm).

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