Portrait de l'arhat Bhadra, encre et pigments sur soie Chine, dynastie Ming, XVIE-XVIIE siècle

assis en sukhasana sur un trône rocailleux devant une cascade bouillonnante avec à sa gauche un disciple portant un lion sur ses épaules et à sa droite une cigogne, monté sur tissu

Some wear and rubbing to the pigments, more pronounced in the bottom register of the painting and in the areas of green (visible on the illustration in the catalogue), resulting from old creasing and handling, a brown stain below his right shoe (showing on the photo), but overall the colors are rather fresh and the portrait is in good condition. The Ming period silk brocades are somewhat soiled and distressed toward the upper mount, the silk lining behind the upper section of brocades is distressed.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

The elegant composition of the painting continues a long established Chinese tradition of portraying the arhats in a landscape setting. And imperial marked Yongle period (1403-1424) works establish the precise source of the style of the Bhadra portrait, see Sotheby's New York, Sept. 21, 2007, lot 33. The structure of the Yongle model remains virtually unchanged, comprising a mountain setting with gnarled trees and delicate flowers, with the arhat accompanied by an attendant and mythical animals. The colour and contour of the landscape is ultimately derived from the classical blue-green style of the Tang period (618-907), and revived by early Yuan period artists (1279-1368). The tradition is recreated in Tibet and China through to the Qing dynasty (1644-1912). Later examples of the style often include a Buddhist deity from the Tibetan pantheon seated on a cloud-borne lotus above, the present work with the goddess of longevity, Ushnishavijaya, in the upper left of the painting; cf. a late 16^th or early 17^th century eastern Tibetan Karmapa portrait, see Marylin M. Rhie and Robert A. F. Thurman, Worlds of Transformation, New York, 1999, pl. 106. A further detail that is not seen in the Yongle paintings is the temple compound upper right, here with a figure of Padmapani at the portal, and sited on an outcrop of rock with devotees approaching. However, the painting of the arhat, the landscape and the attendant with mythical animals interprets the Yongle model with great finesse. The picture is framed using Ming period silk brocades in the Tibetan manner, but cut in the straight-sided Chinese scroll format, as opposed to the flared mounts seen on Tibetan thankas. Although incorporating elements of Tibetan traditions, the shape of the mount and the subtle interpretation of the Yongle painting style suggest a Chinese rather than Tibetan commission, and done sometime during the second half of the Ming dynasty (1368-1644).

A related work from a set of arhat paintings in the Forbidden City, is dated to the 54^th year of Qianlong's reign (equivalent to AD 1789), see Lightness of Essence: Tibetan Buddhism Relics of the Palace Museum, Macao Museum of Art, Macao, 2003, pl. 51. While similar in so many respects to the present Bhadra painting, the later Qianlong work lacks subtlety in the interpretation of the Yongle style and palette. And it includes further innovation in its composition with the inclusion top right of a Tibetan monk in a posture of vigorous debate and wearing a scholar's cap. The learned teacher is no doubt included to signify the renaissance of Indo-Tibetan Buddhist teachings in China under the guidance of Rolpai Dorje, the spiritual mentor of the Qianlong emperor. The extraordinarily close similarities in composition, detail and measurements of canvas between the present 16^th/17^th century Bhadra and the Qianlong work suggests that they may both have been copied from the same model: most probably an important Yongle painting that was well known to the artists' studios and patrons. According to ancient Chinese principles the copying of important earlier works is meritorious. The Qianlong commission to copy the early Ming work emphasizes the high regard in which the original must have been held, and highlights the prestige of the present 16^th/17^th century version.

Bhadra is the sixth of the sixteen Elders of Buddhism and is thought to have been a relative of Sakyamuni Buddha and an accomplished teacher, hence the text held in the right hand. According to a Tibetan liturgical verse he resides on an island in the Yamuna River in the company of 1,200 arhats.

David Weldon