A GILT COPPER ALLOY FIGURE OF BUDDHA

QING DYNASTY, CIRCA 17TH CENTURY

Footnotes

This beautifully proportioned sculpture depicts Buddha with formidable yet calm authority. It is modeled in an archaistic style inspired by Nepalese sculpture of the 12th/13th centuries, which is in turn inspired by early Licchavi period art (300-879). A 13th-century example to compare with was sold at Bonhams, New York, 16 March 2015, lot 2.

The bronze's broad forehead, curved earlobes, webbed hands, and curved cushion are redolent of the early Nepalese style. Meanwhile its larger scale, pleated robe, and more linear treatment of the soles of the feet depart from it – the latter being a stylistic feature of bronzes produced under the Qing dynasty (1644-1912).

Renovated murals at the Jonang Puntsog Ling monastery in Tibet, evoking the 12th-century Indian Pala style, hint towards a groundswell of interest in archaism forming in Tibet by the 17th century (see Henss, The Cultural Monuments of Tibet, Vol. II, Munich, 2014, pp.698-702, figs.1005-12). Still little understood, the artistic practices of the Qing court would have certainly been a contributing factor to this movement, the Qing emperors taking great interest in Buddhist art across Asia. The Qianlong Emperor (r.1735-96) is cited in particular for commissioning various stylistic copies of ancient sculptures within the palace collection.

Comparable examples include one recently sold at Sotheby's, New York, 16 March 2016, lot 726, and Bonhams, New York, 16 March 2015, lot 19. Two further examples are published in Rowland, The Evolution of the Buddha Image, New York, 1963, pp.64-5, no.23; and Weldon & Singer, The Sculptural Heritage of Tibet, London, 1999, p.120, pl.27.

Exhibited
Journey to Tibet, Lotusland, Montecito, California, 1998.

Provenance
Private Collection, acquired in Hong Kong, 1980s


銅鎏金佛像
清朝，約十七世紀
喜馬拉雅藝術資源網2140號
高24.5釐米（9 5/8 英寸）

250,000-350,000港元

此尊佛陀造型勻稱優美，氣勢莊嚴而安謐，靈感來自尼泊爾造像十二／十三世紀之擬古風，其根源可追溯至李查維王朝（公元300至879年）早期的藝術。另一尊邦瀚斯售出的十三世紀佛陀造像與此拍品造型相似，見邦瀚斯，紐約，2015年3月16日， 拍品2號。

佛陀前額寬廣，耳垂稍彎，雙手網縵，座墊呈弧狀外緣，泛溢尼國古風。同時，其體量較大，袈裟紋褶起伏，腳心略顯筆直，風格昭然為清朝（1644-1912年）造像之特徵。

西藏覺囊彭措林寺壁畫之修復，喚起十二世紀印度的帕拉風，繼而於十七世紀在西藏掀動一股擬古之風（見 Henss，The Cultural Monuments of Tibet，卷二，慕尼黑，2014年，頁698-702，圖1005-12）。仍鮮為人知的是，清朝宮廷藝術的實踐無疑助長了此風之盛，眾位清帝對亞洲佛教藝術深感興趣，當中尤以乾隆（1735至1796年在位）涉獵最深，據稱曾指派名師複製故宮收藏之中不同風格的古代造像。

其他可用以參照的作品包括紐約蘇富比2016年3月16日售出的拍品726號，以及紐約邦瀚斯2015年3月16日售出的拍品19號。另外兩個參考案例出版於 Rowland， The Evolution of the Buddha Image ，紐約，1963年，頁64-5，23號，以及Weldon與Singer，The Sculptural Heritage of Tibet，倫敦，1999年，頁120，版圖27。

展覽
Journey to Tibet，羅德斯蘭，蒙特西托市，加利福尼亞州，1998年。

來源
私人收藏， 於1980年代購自香港