Lot 671, a painting of
Suvarnabhadra Vimala, China, Chengde, Xumi Fushou Temple, Qianlong
Period, 1779-1780, 53 by 31 7/8 inches
Lot 671
is an impressive painting of Suvarnabhadra Vimala from the Xumi Fushou
Temple in Chengde, China. It is from the Qianlong Period,
1779-1780, and measures 53 by 31 7/8 inches,
The catalogue entry provides the following commentary from Himalayan
Art Resources:
"The present painting is of the style associated with the Xumi Fushou
Temple in Chengde, outside Beijing. Likely painted in the imperial
workshops of the capital for the decoration of the esteemed temple, it
belongs to an imperial Chinese school of Tibetan-style Buddhism that
flourished in the eighteenth century during a period of cultural
interchange between China, Mongolia, and Tibet.
"As a newly established dynasty, the Qing, who were themselves Manchus
and not of Han Chinese descent, relied on the discipline and support of
other foreign ethnic groups, including the Mongolians and Tibetans, for
their dominance of China proper. In the pursuit of this goal, the
Manchus propagated and patronized Tibetan-style Buddhism. As early as
the Yuan dynasty, the Mongolians had relied on the spiritual wisdom of
Tibetan Buddhist masters as guidance in matters both religious and
secular. They would consult with Tibetan lamas (teachers),
for instance, prior to battle, and believed that subsequent victories
were the result of their karmic righteousness. In the following
centuries, Mongolian adherence to Tibetan Buddhism only increased, and
the Qing Emperors took advantage of this devotion by lavishly
patronizing Tibetan Buddhist activities in both the capital of Beijing
and in areas closer to Mongolia, such as Chengde.
"Originally a hunting site, the site of Chengde was chosen for its
strategic location north of Beijing, and for its idyllic beauty. It
also boasted a massive phallus-shaped rock, known as Qingchui, that was
likened to Mount Sumeru, the Buddhist axis mundi. As the Mongols were
fervent followers of Tibetan-style Buddhism, the Kangxi Emperor (r.
1662-1722) ordered the construction of various Tibetan-style Buddhist
temples ordered around the axis of Qingchui. Under the reign of his
grandson, the Qianlong Emperor (r. 1736-1795), the site was expanded
massively, with the layout of the site mirroring the Buddhist cosmology
of a mandala. Qianlong even ordered the construction of the Putuo
Zongchengmiao in 1771, a replica of the Potala Palace in Lhasa,
complete with a façade with imitation painted windows, and the Puning
Temple, a copy of the ancient Samye Monastery in Tibet.
"The Xumi Fushou Temple was completed in 1780, under the orders of the
Qianlong Emperor. On the occasion of his seventieth birthday, Qianlong
invited Lobsang Palden Yeshe, the Sixth Panchen Lama and the second
most important religious leader of the Geluk sect of Tibetan Buddhism
after the Dalai Lama, to visit him in Chengde outside Beijing. Like his
grandfather before him, Qianlong recognized that the arrival of the
revered Panchen Lama to Chengde at the behest of the emperor
demonstrated enormous political and religious power in the eyes of the
Mongol khans, who were all devout Tibetan Buddhists, and who would also
be in attendance at his birthday proceedings. As a fantastic gesture of
good will, and a display of his power, Qianlong commanded his
architects and builders to replicate the Tashi Lhunpo Monastery, seat
of the Panchen Lama in Tibet, in the summer retreat of Chengde. The
resulting Xumi Fushou Temple was completed in time for the celebration
and the visit of Lobsang Palden Yeshe, and filled with countless
paintings, sculptures, and other ritual objects. Unlike the Putuo
Zongchengmiao, which while enormous, was largely an empty façade, the
Xumi Fushou was a functioning monastery and temple. The Chinese
architects, however, could not resist laying out the Xumi Fushou on a
processional axis in the Chinese manner and in contrast to the layout
of the Tashi Lhunpo, thus obfuscating the aesthetic connection between
the two buildings.
"The present painting was likely painted in the imperial workshops of
Beijing for the decoration of the new Xumi Fushou Temple. The set was
subsequently dispersed, and many are now found in museums and private
collections. Paintings of Samantabhadra and the Buddha Ratnasambhava
(figure a), both from the Xumi Fushou Temple, reside in the Asian Art
Museum of San Francisco, while The Philadelphia Museum of Art retains a
painting of Sitatapatra (acc. no. 1959-156-4) and a painting of an
unidentified bodhisattva (acc. no. 1959-156-5). Two paintings from the
same set were sold at Christie’s New York on 12 September 2018,
including figure b, a painting of Amitabha (lot 316) and a painting of
the bodhisattva Vajraraksha (lot 315). The painting of Samantabhadra in
the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco has an inscription stating that
it was destined for the Xumi Fushou temple, and indicates its location
within the building.
"Suvarnabhadra Vimala (Tib. mtshan legs yongs grags dpal) is one of the
eight medicine buddhas identified in the
Bhaishajyaguruvaiduryaprabharaja Sutra, a sutra of great
importance to early Mahayana schools as well as later Vajrayana
Buddhist traditions. The jeweled mandorla, ornate lotus throne, pastel
palette, and three-lobed style of clouds closely matches that of
examples directly attributed by inscription to the Xumi Fushou Temple
while the ornamented trees and the cluster of jewels that sit before
the medicine buddha reflect the Tibetan influence on this iconography.
Blue and green cliffs in a classic Chinese style give way to waterfalls
that flow into the body of water from which a lotus emerges with open
petals, topped with sense offerings in the form of a conch shell filled
with perfume, cymbals, and a mirror. White Tara and Green Tara sit upon
lotuses floating over the landscape, while the celestial appearance of
Amitayus hovers in the sky above, surrounded by dakinismaking
offerings to the bodhisattvas. The flowers that descend from their
baskets disappear within the green clouds that fill the space around
Amitabha at the center."
The lot has an estimate of $80,000 to $120,000. It sold for $100,000.
Lot 685, "Padmapani
Lokeshvara," gilt bronze, Nepal, Early Malla Period, 14th Century, 19
7/8 inches high
Lot 685
is an impressive gilt bronze figure of "Padmapani Lokeshvara" from
Nepal, Early Malla Period, 14th Century. It is 19 7/8 inches high.
The catalogue entry provides the following commentary from Himalayan
Art Resources:
"Avalokiteshvara, the “Lord who looks upon the World,” is the
bodhisattva of compassion, and one of the principle deities in Mahayana
Buddhism. Although he has attained enlightenment like the Buddha, the
bodhisattva forgoes his escape from the suffering of rebirth to act as
a guide to all living beings until they themselves have achieved
nirvana. Worshipped in many guises, here he is depicted as Padmapani
Lokeshvara, the “lord that holds the lotus.” Like the lotus, which
rises from its murky bed below the water to blossom in the pristine
air, Padmapani has detached himself from the pain and impurities of the
material world and is enlightened in body, speech, and mind.
Worshipped in Nepal from at least the mid-sixth century,
Avalokiteshvara was one of the most popular Buddhist deities in the
Kathmandu Valley. Demand for images of this auspicious bodhisattva was
great and from an early period, craftsmen throughout the valley were
executing works in wood, stone, paint, and bronze. The deity is nearly
always depicted standing, in contrast to the Indian tradition of
showing him seated. The style is further characterized by the lithe
form of the body and the swaying hips, with the head tilted to the
side, resulting in a graceful curvilinear form.
The dhoti billows in voluminous folds between the legs and is
secured across the thighs with a loosely-draped sash, while the sacred
thread hangs from the shoulder across the torso and thighs."
The lot has an estimate of $120,000 to $180,000. It sold for $399,000.
Lot 683, Eleven-headed
Avalokiteshvara, Nepal or Tibet, gilt-bronze, 14th Century, 7 5/8
inches high
Lot
683, is a fine, gilt-bronze, Eleven-headed Avalokiteshvara from Nepal
or Tibet from the 14th Century. It is 7 5/8 inches high.
The catalogue entry provides the following commentary from Himalayan
Art Resources:
"The current work, depicting an eleven-headed, eight-armed emanation of
the bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara, is executed in the iconographic form
first described by the Indian Buddhist philosopher Nagarjuna during the
second century CE. The form was later popularized in meditational texts
by the Indian pandits Bhikshuni Shri and Jowo Atisha, and thereafter
absorbed into the essential iconography of Vajrayana Buddhism. The
overall proportions including the slim waist and wide hips, the
rectangular ushnisha, the U-shaped sash which falls above the knees,
and exuberant use of inlaid stone and glass lozenges are all indicative
of the Newar idiom, prevalent throughout Central Tibetan ateliers in
the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries; while the square facial
features and the wide lotus petals on the base of the sculpture are
more commonly found in contemporaneous Tibetan sculpture."
It has a modest estimate of $25,000 to $35,000. It sold for $68,750.
Lot 690, repousse
gilt-copper figure of Maitreya, Nepal, 17th-18th Century, 19 3/4 inches
high
Lot 690
is a handsome repousse gilt-copper figure of Maitreya from Nepal.
The 17th-18th Century work is 19 3/4 inches high. It has an
estimate of $120,000 to $180,000. It sold for $125,000.
Lot 616,
Padmapanilokeshvara, gilt bronze, Tibet, 17th Century, 7 1/8 inches high
Lot
616 is a gilt bronze statuette of Padmapanilokeshvara from Tibet.
The 17th Century work is 7 1/8 inches high.
The catalogue entry provides the following commentary:
"On first appraisal, the present figure appears to be Nepalese in
origin, heavily influenced by the Pala style of roughly the twelfth
century. The languid pose, with the incorporation of the yogic
band, the tall and relatively flat chignon, the base type, and the
heavy lotus stalks at each shoulder, all are hallmarks of the Indian
Pala style, while the thick gilting and the incorporation of turquoise
at the lotus blossoms are more commonly found in Nepalese and Tibetan
sculpture."
The lot has an estimate of $60,000 to $80,000. It failed to sell.
Lot 674, cast and
repousse gilt-bronze figure of Green Tara, Inner Mongolia, Dolonnor
style, late 18th Century, 22 7/8 inches high
Lot 674
is a lovely cast and repousse gilt-bronze figure of Green Tara from
Inner
Mongolia in the Dolonnor style of the late 18th Century. It is 22
7/8 inches high.
The catalogue entry provides the following commentary:
"The
present work was likely created in or around the thriving Buddhist
center of Dolonnor in Inner Mongolia. Aspects such as the heavy folds
of the drapery, the tall, tightly waisted base, and the curled chignon
tied with a floral spray all point to a Dolonnor attribution. Compare
the treatment of the jewelry, particularly the beaded ornaments in the
hair, as well as drapery and base with a repoussé gilt-bronze figure of
Manjushri in the collection of the Rietberg Museum, Zurich, illustrated
by Helmut Uhlig in On the Path to Enlightenment: The Berti
Aschmann Foundation of Tibetan Art at the Museum Rietberg Zurich,
Zurich, 1995, p. 114, cat. no. 65.
"During the Qing period, the Kangxi, Yongzheng, and Qianlong Emperors
patronized Dolonnor as a center of Buddhist learning and artistic
production. The site was purposefully built not far from Shangdu
(Xanadu), the old thirteenth century summer capital of Kublai Khan. The
Mongolian lama, master artist, and leader of the Khalka Mongols,
Zanabazar, formally assimilated his khanate into the Qing Empire before
the Kangxi Emperor at Dolonnor in 1691. It continued to be an important
bronze image foundry even into the late nineteenth century, as noted by
the Russian explorer Nikolay Przhevalsky on one of his expeditions to
Mongolia in the 1870s...."
The lot has an estimate of $100,000 to $150,000. It sold for $112,500.
Lot 727, a picchvai of
Shri Nathji, opaque pigments on textile, North India, Rajasthan,
Nathdwara or Jodpur, late 19th Century, 83 3/4 by 105 1/2 inches
Lot
727 is a fine picchvai of Shri Nathji, opaque pigments on textile from
North
India, Rajasthan, Nathdwara or Jodpur. The late 19th Century work
measures 83 3/4 by 105
1/2 inches.
The catalogue entry provides
the following commentary:
"The festival of Sharat
Purnima, depicted here, is a widely celebrated in Rajasthan to
symbolize the onset of autumn. Krishna dances with his consort Radha,
surrounded by gopis in a celebration of rasalila. A
series of interconnected stories are depicted, anticlockwise, from top:
six gopis with matkas or pots approach Shri Nathji
in the forest with celestial creatures at the top; Krishna multiplies
himself to gather devotees and cowherds; Krishna celebrates his victory
over the naga or snake, Kaliya; and Krishna dances
with gopis to celebrate rasalila. Twenty-six scenes of
Shri Nathji’s devotion surround the rectangular borders of the
intricately rendered picchvai. Shri Nathji stands in mountain-lifting
posture to depict his victory over god Indra, by protecting his people
and cattle as Govardhan Nathji."
The lot has an estimate of $12.000 to $15,000. It sold for $17,500.
Lot 728, a
picchvai of Shri Nathji Amongst Cows," North India. Rajasthan, 19th
Century, opaque pigments on textile, 56 by 54 1/4 inches
Lot 728
is a good picchvai of "Shri Nathji amongst Cows" from Rajasthan in
North India. The 19th Century opaque pigments on textile work
measures 56 by 54 1/4 inches.
The catalogue entry provides the following commentary:
"This picchvai depicts Krishna’s everyday activities as a blissful
cowherd in Nathwara, Rajasthan. Gopashtami, a celebration of Krishna’s
life as a cowherd, is symbolized in the form of the central scene,
which represents Shri Nathji summoning the cattle with his melodious
tunes. The topmost scenes represent Krishna’s unique relationship with
the gopas (cowherds), gopis (milkmaids), and cattle
in the middle of the forest, where gopis engage in Daan
Lila or taking of the toll during Ekadashi or eleventh
day of autumn. The interesting trapezoidal shape of the picchvai and
the bright border with floral motif in bright colors resemble the shape
of the main gates of Shri Nathji’s haveli or palace."
The lot has an estimate of $6,000 to $8,000. It sold for $6,875.
