Property from the Collection of John J. Studzinski, CBE
大英帝國司令勳章受勳者John J. Studzinski珍藏
大英帝國司令勳章受勳者John J. Studzinski珍藏
Lot 38
A rare carved limestone figure of a bodhisattva Northern Qi Dynasty
7 November 2019, 10:30 GMT
London, New Bond Street£40,000 - £80,000
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Chinese Art (US)
Chinese Art (HK)
Asaph Hyman
Global Head of Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art
Dessa Goddard
Senior Vice President, US Head, Asian Art Group
Colin Sheaf
Consultant
Shipping (UK)
Rachel Hyman
Department Director
Asian Art (AUS)
A rare carved limestone figure of a bodhisattva
Northern Qi Dynasty
Crisply carved with a serene face, the eyes half open in contemplation, a scalloped hairline topped by a beaded headdress and secured by a band with a ring to either side, clad in a high dhoti knotted at the front and with bows at the shoulders, adorned with elaborate jewellery, stand. 71cm (28in) high. (2).
Crisply carved with a serene face, the eyes half open in contemplation, a scalloped hairline topped by a beaded headdress and secured by a band with a ring to either side, clad in a high dhoti knotted at the front and with bows at the shoulders, adorned with elaborate jewellery, stand. 71cm (28in) high. (2).
Footnotes
北齊 石雕菩薩立像
Provenance: Jonathan Tucker Antonia Tozer Asian Art, London, 15 February 2003
John J. Studzinski, CBE
來源：英國倫敦古董商，Jonathan Tucker Antonia Tozer Asian Art，2003年2月15日
大英帝國司令勳章受勳者John J. Studzinski珍藏
The present remarkable figure displays several stylistic features typical of the Northern Chinese sculptural tradition dating to the second half of the sixth century, where emphasis was placed towards the volume of the body, evident here in the stocky upper body and the convexity of the stomach, and the folds of the robe, gently cascading towards the bottom of the body.
The Northern Qi dynasty (550-577) was one of the most vibrant periods in the history of Chinese art, especially in the context of Buddhist art, which experienced a glorious moment following the contamination of foreign ideas and styles.
The two hems depicted above the ankles suggest that the figure is wearing a double garment. This feature does not appear to have a counterpart in India or Central Asia and was probably a Chinese innovation. See, a stone figure of a bodhisattva, Sui dynasty, in cave no.427 at Dunhuang, which displays a similar treatment of the hems as the present example; see I.Y.Klein-Bednay, Schmuck und Gewand Des Bodhisattva In Der Fruhchinesischen Plastik, Bonn, 1984, fig.97, p.93. The elaborate strings of jewels depicted on the chest, consisting of lengths of pearls separated by coral twigs, however, can be traced to the Central Asian and Indian ornaments worn by Indian noblemen and can be found on Gandharan sculptures. See K.Isao, The World of the Buddha. Ghandara Art, Tokyo, 1990, vol.2, p.177, fig.13.
A very similar torso of a bodhisattva, mid to late 6th century, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, is illustrated by D.P.Leidy and D.Strahan, Wisdom Embodied, Chinese Buddhist and Daoist Sculpture in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 2010, p.172, fig. A13. Another similar stone figure of a bodhisattva, Northern Qi, in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, is illustrated by D.P.Leidy, 'Avalokiteshvara in Sixth-century China', in J.Baker ed., The Flowering of a Foreign Faith: New Studies in Chinese Buddhist Art, Mumbai, 1998, figs.8 and 8a.
