拍品專文
This is one of the largest and most complete examples of an early 8th Century image of Guanyin from Longmen.
The stylistic traits of the Longmen style are remarkably consistent in the portrayal of a more wordly and sensuous expression tempered by spiritual tranquility. The facial features of both Buddhas and Bodhisattvas alike exhibit similar treatments of the heavily-lidded eyes, fleshy cheeks and lips set in invitingly serene smiles without the spiritual distance inherent in the Tianlongshan style.
Cf. two bodhisattva heads from the C.K. Chan Collection illustrated in Lost Statues of Longmen Caves, col.pls.71 (39.5cm. high) and 79 (37cm. high); another two, one from the Los Angeles County Museum, ibid., pl.72 (25.4cm. high) and a fourth from the Asian Art Museum, San Fancisco, pl.77 (43cm. high) which all compare very closely to the present example of much larger size.
Compare also, the two Buddha heads from Longmen illsutrated in the Avery Brundage Collection, Chinese, Korean and Japanese Sculpture, one of the largest of all Longmen heads (66cm. high) and no.104 (30.2cm. high) which are remarkably akin to the Bodhisattva heads apart from the treatment of hairstyles
The stylistic traits of the Longmen style are remarkably consistent in the portrayal of a more wordly and sensuous expression tempered by spiritual tranquility. The facial features of both Buddhas and Bodhisattvas alike exhibit similar treatments of the heavily-lidded eyes, fleshy cheeks and lips set in invitingly serene smiles without the spiritual distance inherent in the Tianlongshan style.
Cf. two bodhisattva heads from the C.K. Chan Collection illustrated in Lost Statues of Longmen Caves, col.pls.71 (39.5cm. high) and 79 (37cm. high); another two, one from the Los Angeles County Museum, ibid., pl.72 (25.4cm. high) and a fourth from the Asian Art Museum, San Fancisco, pl.77 (43cm. high) which all compare very closely to the present example of much larger size.
Compare also, the two Buddha heads from Longmen illsutrated in the Avery Brundage Collection, Chinese, Korean and Japanese Sculpture, one of the largest of all Longmen heads (66cm. high) and no.104 (30.2cm. high) which are remarkably akin to the Bodhisattva heads apart from the treatment of hairstyles