LIAO DYNASTY (907-1125)

細節

A RARE GILT-BRONZE FIGURE OF A SIX-ARMED BODHISATTVA
LIAO DYNASTY (907-1125)
Finely cast with delicate, contemplative expression shown seated in vajraparyanka atop a lotus platform raised on four ruyi-shaped cabriole legs surrounding a pedestal pierced with four further ruyi heads rising from the lobed base, the primary hands held in an esoteric mudra, the position of the fingers suggesting a half vajra, the uppermost pair of hands held aloft holding two attributes, the conch shell and a small covered jar, wearing a sash-tied dhoti with fringed hem and a shawl with long trailing ends, one of the two necklaces secured in back with a long ribbon tied in a bow and looped knot, the hair drawn up into a tall topknot hidden within the elaborate, ribbon-hung headdress centered in front by a figure of Amitabha Buddha and crowned by foliate scrolls arching backwards to a flaming jewel
6½in. (16.5 cm.) high, box

來源

Stephen Junkunc III.

拍品專文

Stylistic features of this exquisite six-armed figure of Avalokitesvara conform to those of a group of gilt-bronze images of seated bodhisattvas known from the Liao dynasty. Comparable Liao bodhisattvas are in the British Museum, the Shanghai Museum, the Museum of East Asian Art, Bath, and the Rjikesmuseum, Amsterdam. See W. Zwalf, ed., Buddhism, Art and Faith, London, 1985, no. 294; d'Argencé, Treasures from the Shanghai Museum: 6,000 Years of Chinese Art, Shanghai and San Francisco, 1983, no. 21; The Museum of East Asian Art, Inaugural Exhibition, vol. 2, Bath, 1993, no. 277; and Hai-wai yi-zhen: Chinese Art in Overseas Collections - Buddhist Sculpture, The National Palace Museum, Taipei, 1990, nos. 146 and 158, respectively. In the entry for the British Museum figure, the author refers to stylistically comparable seated clay bodhisattvas within the Bojiajiao library hall, constructed in 1308 at the Lower Huayan temple, Datong, Shanxi province, once the western capital of the Khitan Liao dynasty, Buddhism, Art and Faith, p. 204.

The present figure differs, however, from the before-mentioned examples in bearing multiple arms. As is the case with lot 77 in this sale, these multiple arms, with hands either positioned in mudra or grasing attributes, are meant to convey a sense of awe-inspiring power and capacity for salvation. Here, however, the emphasis is on specific mudra and attributes. While the specific meaning of the covered jar in the figure's upper right hand is unclear, the conch shell, held in the upper left held, was a popular attribute, and symbolized the sound and dissemination of the Buddhist Law.