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拍品專文
Shakyamuni, the Historical Buddha, was born as Siddhartha Gautama into the royal Shakya clan around 563 BC in what is now Nepal. Although heir to his father’s throne, Prince Siddhartha renounced worldly life in pursuit of spiritual awakening. After attaining enlightenment, he devoted the remainder of his life to teaching the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path, the foundational doctrines of Buddhism. Upon his death at the age of eighty, c. 483 BC, he entered nirvana. His teachings are preserved in numerous Buddhist scriptures, but are bet reflected in the Saddharma Puṇḍarīka Sūtra, known in English as the Lotus Sutra and in Chinese as the Miaofa Lianhua Jing. From the moment of his enlightenment, Siddhartha came to be revered as Shakyamuni, or the Lion of the Shakya Clan; as an historical person, he has also come to be known as the Historical Buddha.
The present figure depicts Shakyamuni seated in contemplative meditation, with closed eyes and a serene inward smile. His hands are arranged in the bhūmisparśa-mudrā, or earth-touching gesture, symbolizing the moment of his enlightenment when he called upon the earth to bear witness to his spiritual attainment. In this gesture, the left hand rests palm-up in the lap in the dhyāna-mudrā, or meditation gesture, while the right hand extends over the knee with the fingers directed toward the ground. Although Shakyamuni may be represented with several different mudrās, he is most characteristically shown in the bhumisparsa-mudra, as it emblemizes his enlightenment.
The cranial protuberance, or uṣṇīṣa, that rises above the head identifies the figure unequivocally as a Buddha. Symbolizing the transcendent wisdom attained through enlightenment, the uṣṇīṣa is among the Buddha’s most distinctive iconographic features. While other deities may wear elaborate coiffures or high chignons, only a Buddha possesses a true uṣṇīṣa, making it a primary diagnostic attribute in Buddhist sculpture.
Immediately below the uṣṇīṣa appears the cūḍāmaṇi, or “crown jewel,” rendered here as an unadorned elliptical projection. Although the motif appeared as early as the twelfth century, it became a standard feature of Buddha images beginning in the Ming dynasty. Literally meaning “a jewel worn atop the head,” the cūḍāmaṇi signifies supreme spiritual accomplishment and transcendence beyond the cycle of birth and death. Equally characteristic of Ming Buddhist imagery is the wan symbol prominently displayed on the chest. Commonly identified as the right-facing or clockwise swastika, this ancient auspicious emblem often appears not only on a Buddha’s chest but also on the palms and soles of his feet. Prior to its adoption in Buddhist iconography, the symbol was associated with the Hindu deity Vishnu, appearing upon his chest as a sign of auspiciousness. Within Buddhism, it came to represent the Buddha’s enlightened heart and has been interpreted as signifying universal harmony, infinity, spiritual fulfillment, and boundless felicity.
The figure’s curly hair and goatee derive from ascetic representations of Shakyamuni that gained popularity during the Yuan dynasty. Such images frequently portray Shakyamuni seated in a reflective pose, with his head and hands resting upon a raised knee. Representative examples include a lacquered wood sculpture in the Detroit Institute of Arts and a gilt-bronze figure in the Cleveland Museum of Art, both illustrated in Hai-wai yi-zhen: Chinese Art in Overseas Collections – Buddhist Sculpture, National Palace Museum, Taipei, 1986, pp. 171–2, nos. 158–9. Another related example dated to the Yuan dynasty, formerly in the collection of Jules Speelman, was sold in 8 at 80; Bonhams Hong Kong, 5 May 2025, lot 2. The convention of depicting Shakyamuni with curly hair and a goatee continued into the Ming period, as evidenced by the seventeenth-century gilt-bronze figure in the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, illustrated in Hai-wai yi-zhen: Chinese Art in Overseas Collections – Buddhist Sculpture II, National Palace Museum, Taipei, 1990, p. 194, no. 184.
The present figure depicts Shakyamuni seated in contemplative meditation, with closed eyes and a serene inward smile. His hands are arranged in the bhūmisparśa-mudrā, or earth-touching gesture, symbolizing the moment of his enlightenment when he called upon the earth to bear witness to his spiritual attainment. In this gesture, the left hand rests palm-up in the lap in the dhyāna-mudrā, or meditation gesture, while the right hand extends over the knee with the fingers directed toward the ground. Although Shakyamuni may be represented with several different mudrās, he is most characteristically shown in the bhumisparsa-mudra, as it emblemizes his enlightenment.
The cranial protuberance, or uṣṇīṣa, that rises above the head identifies the figure unequivocally as a Buddha. Symbolizing the transcendent wisdom attained through enlightenment, the uṣṇīṣa is among the Buddha’s most distinctive iconographic features. While other deities may wear elaborate coiffures or high chignons, only a Buddha possesses a true uṣṇīṣa, making it a primary diagnostic attribute in Buddhist sculpture.
Immediately below the uṣṇīṣa appears the cūḍāmaṇi, or “crown jewel,” rendered here as an unadorned elliptical projection. Although the motif appeared as early as the twelfth century, it became a standard feature of Buddha images beginning in the Ming dynasty. Literally meaning “a jewel worn atop the head,” the cūḍāmaṇi signifies supreme spiritual accomplishment and transcendence beyond the cycle of birth and death. Equally characteristic of Ming Buddhist imagery is the wan symbol prominently displayed on the chest. Commonly identified as the right-facing or clockwise swastika, this ancient auspicious emblem often appears not only on a Buddha’s chest but also on the palms and soles of his feet. Prior to its adoption in Buddhist iconography, the symbol was associated with the Hindu deity Vishnu, appearing upon his chest as a sign of auspiciousness. Within Buddhism, it came to represent the Buddha’s enlightened heart and has been interpreted as signifying universal harmony, infinity, spiritual fulfillment, and boundless felicity.
The figure’s curly hair and goatee derive from ascetic representations of Shakyamuni that gained popularity during the Yuan dynasty. Such images frequently portray Shakyamuni seated in a reflective pose, with his head and hands resting upon a raised knee. Representative examples include a lacquered wood sculpture in the Detroit Institute of Arts and a gilt-bronze figure in the Cleveland Museum of Art, both illustrated in Hai-wai yi-zhen: Chinese Art in Overseas Collections – Buddhist Sculpture, National Palace Museum, Taipei, 1986, pp. 171–2, nos. 158–9. Another related example dated to the Yuan dynasty, formerly in the collection of Jules Speelman, was sold in 8 at 80; Bonhams Hong Kong, 5 May 2025, lot 2. The convention of depicting Shakyamuni with curly hair and a goatee continued into the Ming period, as evidenced by the seventeenth-century gilt-bronze figure in the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, illustrated in Hai-wai yi-zhen: Chinese Art in Overseas Collections – Buddhist Sculpture II, National Palace Museum, Taipei, 1990, p. 194, no. 184.