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Lot Essay
In 1950, Zhang Daqian presented this Bodhisattva Offering a Flower to the Buddhist scholar Zhang Chengji (Garma C.C. Chang, 1920-1988), son-in-law of Yu Youren (1879–1964). Raised in a devout Buddhist family, Zhang Chengji studied Tibetan Buddhism for eight years under Gongga Rinpoche in Xikang province before travelling to India for further study and teaching. He returned to India with his wife Yu Nianci in 1949; the following year, Zhang Daqian travelled there for an exhibition in New Delhi, visited the Ajanta Caves and stayed in Darjeeling. Executed while both men were in India, the painting bears witness to this distinctive period of their association.
The offering bodhisattva, shown presenting flowers, incense or lamps to the Three Jewels of Buddhism, is a familiar subject in Buddhist art and appears frequently in the murals of Dunhuang. Zhang had studied and copied such imagery extensively during his years at Dunhuang, while his journey to India in 1950 brought him into direct contact with the sources of Buddhist art. Presented to a lifelong scholar of Buddhism, this work thus unites Zhang Daqian’s artistic engagement with Buddhist imagery with Zhang Chengji’s religious scholarship, while commemorating the particular affinity forged between them in India. The painting represents not only an intersection of art and faith, but also a unique bond forged through the two men’s shared time in India.
The offering bodhisattva, shown presenting flowers, incense or lamps to the Three Jewels of Buddhism, is a familiar subject in Buddhist art and appears frequently in the murals of Dunhuang. Zhang had studied and copied such imagery extensively during his years at Dunhuang, while his journey to India in 1950 brought him into direct contact with the sources of Buddhist art. Presented to a lifelong scholar of Buddhism, this work thus unites Zhang Daqian’s artistic engagement with Buddhist imagery with Zhang Chengji’s religious scholarship, while commemorating the particular affinity forged between them in India. The painting represents not only an intersection of art and faith, but also a unique bond forged through the two men’s shared time in India.