A rare grey limestone head of Buddha, Early Tang dynasty | 唐初 石灰石雕佛首

拍品描述

36.9 cm 來源 傳日本舊藏，於1941年前獲得 台北私人舊藏，自1970年代從上獲得 王瑞欽（1954-1998）先生舊藏，台北 上拍於紐約佳士得，2008年9月17日，編號575 This large and powerfully carved head of Buddha exhibits features characteristic of the transitional phase of sculptural development at the Longmen Grottoes. Following a prolonged hiatus after the fall of the Northern Wei dynasty, official patronage and expansion at Longmen recommenced with renewed vigour from the end of the Northern Qi through to the early Tang period. The present head displays stylistic hallmarks inherited from Northern Qi sculptural experimentation, particularly from its major site at the Northern Xiangtangshan Caves. The shallow carving of the eyes, with eyelids emerging in low-relief bowed lines from small, rounded inner canthi, closely mirrors the large heads from that site. Heads of this specific style are rare at Longmen, typically found only in caves initiated during the late Northern Qi and completed during the Tang dynasty. Compare, for instance, the sculptures in the Lewan Cave, particularly the faces of the large Ananda and the right bodhisattva in the central pentad, illustrated in Zhongguo meishu quanji: Diaosu bian 11 - Longmen shiku diaoke [Complete Collection of Chinese Art: Sculpture 11 - Longmen Grottoes Sculpture], Beijing, 1988, pls 99 and 100. A further compelling comparison is the Southern Binyang Cave (Cave 159), which was begun during the Daye reign of the Sui dynasty but significantly expanded during the Tang reigns of Taizong and Gaozong, reaching completion by AD 641. The monumental principal pentad of Amitabha flanked by Ananda, Kasyapa, and two bodhisattvas in this cave all feature large, open eyelids set within squared faces with thicker, flatter lips; see Complete Works of Statues in Longmen Grottoes, vol. 1: Binyang Cave, Beijing, 2002, pl. 273. The present head is extremely closely related in size and proportion to the heads of the Buddhas within the larger niches of the flanking walls, such as the central Buddha in Niche 13 and Niche 51 (ibid., pls 317 and 467). Two Longmen heads with triple-spiralled hair in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, are also closely related to the present head, illustrated in Longmen liusan diaoxiang ji / The Lost Statues at Longmen Caves, Shanghai, 1993, figs 47 and 63. Compare also to a monumental limestone head of the Buddha, formerly in the Avery Brundage Collection and now preserved in the Asian Art Museum, San Francisco (accession no. B60S38+). Identified as originating from the principal figure in the central cave at the Leigutai site at Longmen, the San Francisco head dates to the height of the Tang dynasty (circa 700-750), a golden age when Buddhist art reached its zenith. It shares with the present lot a sensitive rendering and distinctive stylistic traits indicative of Indian Buddhist influence, notably the fullness of the cheeks, sharply chiselled eyebrows and eyelids, and a thick, full, and rounded mouth. The treatment of the curly hair, formed by floral-shaped whirls, further aligns these magnificent sculptures, reaffirming the present lot's early Tang dating and its prestigious Longmen origins. 此佛首碩大宏偉，雕工遒勁，展現了龍門石窟雕塑發展過渡期的典型特徵。北魏滅亡後，龍門石窟的開鑿曾一度停滯，直至北齊末期至唐代初期，在官方的鼎力支持下才重新煥發活力並大規模擴建。本品在風格上承襲了北齊雕塑的實驗性探索，尤其是深受響堂山北石窟的影響。其眼部雕刻較淺，眼瞼以淺浮雕的弧線從細圓的內眼角向外延伸，與響堂山石窟的大型佛首極為相似。 此類風格的佛首在龍門石窟中頗為罕見，僅見於北齊晚期開鑿並於唐代完工的洞窟中。參考擂鼓台區勒萬洞的造像，特別是主尊五尊像中大阿難與右側菩薩的面容，載於《中國美術全集：雕塑編11·龍門石窟雕刻》，北京，1988年，圖版99及100。另一重要參考為賓陽南洞第159窟，該窟始鑿於隋大業年間，至唐太宗及高宗時期大規模擴建，並於貞觀十五年（641年）竣工。賓陽南洞主龕的阿彌陀佛及阿難、迦葉與兩尊菩薩像，皆具備寬闊的眼瞼、方正的面龐以及較為豐厚平展的雙唇；見《龍門石窟造像全集·第一卷：賓陽洞》，北京，2002年，圖版273。本品在尺寸與比例上，與兩側崖壁大龕內的佛首極為相近，如左壁最大龕第13龕及右壁最大龕第51龕的主尊佛首，出處同上，圖版317及467。 倫敦維多利亞與艾伯特博物館蓄有兩尊龍門石窟佛首，其水渦紋髮髻與本品密切相關，錄於《龍門流散雕像集》，上海，1993年，圖47及63。此外，本品與三藩市亞洲藝術博物館珍藏的一尊石灰石佛首，為Avery Brundage舊藏，館藏編號B60S38+，亦有異曲同工之妙。該館藏佛首斷代約公元700至750年，正值唐代佛教藝術之鼎盛黃金時期，據考證原屬龍門石窟擂鼓台中心洞的主尊造像。兩者皆展現出深受印度佛教藝術影響的獨特風格，如豐滿的雙頰、輪廓分明且雕工俐落的眉眼，以及豐厚圓潤的雙唇。其髮髻呈花卉狀水渦紋，處理手法如出一轍，進一步印證了本品屬唐代初期龍門石窟之宏偉巨作。

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