Ɏ † A RARE CORAL FIGURE OF JESUS CHRIST WEARING THE CROWN OF THORNS, 18TH-19TH CENTURY

拍品描述

Ɏ † A RARE CORAL FIGURE OF JESUS CHRIST WEARING THE CROWN OF THORNS, 18TH-19TH CENTURY China. Intricately worked as the crucified Christ, with arms outstretched, wearing a short loincloth tied at the waist, and a crown of thorns. Flowing sashes swirl dynamically around his body, he is surrounded by a group of five angels with outspread wings, two of whom are depicted holding books. The coral of a bright salmon-pink color with lighter swirls and white splashes. Dimensions: Width 24.9 cm (the carving), Height 21.8 cm (incl. stand) With an associated padded storage box and fitted wood stand. (3) This depiction of Christ wearing the crown of thorns and attended by angels is exceptionally rare in Qing dynasty art, and no comparable Chinese carving of the subject in coral appears to have been published. Christian imagery reached China through the activities of Jesuit missionaries and the wider maritime networks linking Europe with Macau and southern China during the 17th and 18th centuries. European devotional models were subsequently adapted by local craftsmen through established Chinese carving traditions, resulting in a distinctive body of Sino-Christian art. Christian carvings, particularly those executed in ivory, were produced for missionary communities and export, serving as portable aids to private devotion. Compare the finely carved ivory relief depicting the Crucifixion, attributed to a Chinese-Jesuit workshop of the early 18th century and sold at Christie’s London, 14 November 2002, lot 63, which similarly translates a European Christian subject into the language of Chinese sculpture. During the same period, coral images of the Crucified Christ became highly prized devotional objects in Europe, particularly those produced by the celebrated workshops of Trapani in Sicily, where the material’s blood-red color carried a powerful association with Christ’s Passion. Compare the late 17th-century Trapani crucifix from the Pierre Bergé collection sold by Sotheby’s Paris, 30 October 2018, lot 237, comprising a coral figure of Christ, titulus, and skull mounted on a blue-glass and silver-gilt cross. The present carving brings these otherwise distinct traditions together: a Christian devotional subject transmitted through missionary and maritime exchange, interpreted by a Chinese craftsman in coral and transformed into a complex composition of Christ and angels emerging from sweeping, cloud-like forms. 13% VAT will be added to the hammer price additional to the buyer's premium - only for buyers within the EU. This item contains ivory, rhinoceros horn, tortoise shell, and/or some types of tropical wood and is subject to CITES when exporting outside the EU. It is typically not possible to export such items outside of the EU, including to the UK. Therefore, after this item has the necessary trade certificate, it can only be shipped within the EU or picked up in our gallery in person.

图片