THE INFANT BUDDHA, A GILT-LACQUERED WOOD FIGURE, VIETNAM, LÊ DYNASTY, 17TH-18TH CENTURY

拍品描述

THE INFANT BUDDHA, A GILT-LACQUERED WOOD FIGURE, VIETNAM, LÊ DYNASTY, 17TH-18TH CENTURY Finely carved, the infant Buddha standing erect upon a large red-lacquered lotus blossom raised on an elaborate stepped pedestal, the right arm hanging pendant while the left is raised with two fingers extended in a gesture of proclamation. The youthful figure is clad in a short red-lacquered dhoti gathered in soft folds around the hips, the otherwise bare body extensively gilt. The closely shaven head bears a calm yet alert expression, with downcast almond-shaped eyes beneath gently arched brows, a broad nose, and pursed lips, flanked by elongated earlobes. Dimensions: Height 65 cm This endearing figure depicts the newborn Shakyamuni pointing to the sky with his left finger, and to the ground with his right finger, described in Asvaghosa's Life of Buddha translated by Samuel Beal, Sacred Books of the East, vol. XIX, Oxford, 1883, p. 226: “Upright and firm and unconfused in mind, he deliberately took seven steps...he spoke thus with the fullest assurance: This birth is in the condition of a Buddha; after this I have done with renewed birth: now only am I born this once, for the purpose of saving all the world.” This figure of the baby Buddha is related to the story of his birth, where the newly-born Buddha took seven steps in each of the cardinal directions. With one hand pointing to the heavens and the other pointing to the earth, he proclaimed that he was the only one who could save beings from the endless cycle of suffering. Another story mentions that he was first bathed by water sprinkled by nine dragons. Lacquered and gold-painted or gilded figures of the standing infant Buddha such as this are popular in Mahayana Buddhist temples in north Vietnam. Such figures are placed on temple altars, flanked by a pair of dragons. They are also carried in processions to mark Vesak Day. Literature comparison: Compare a closely related gilt-lacquered wood figure of the infant Buddha, dated to the Lê dynasty, 17th-18th century, in the National Museum of Vietnamese History, Hanoi. Auction result comparison: Type: Closely related Auction: Christie’s Paris, 11 December 2013, lot 290 Price: EUR 8,125 or approx. EUR 10,000 adjusted for inflation at the time of writing Expert remark: Compare the closely related modeling, manner of carving, lacquering, and subject. Note the size (53.5 cm).

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