Album du sutra du coeur et du sutra du diamant peints sur feuilles de pipal Chine, dynastie Qing, XIXE siècle

formé de 22 double-pages, comprenant 22 illustrations à la gouache sur feuilles de pipal, chacune faisant face au texte chinois du Prajnaparamita-hrdaya- sutra, le Sutra du Coeur, et du Vajracchedika-prajnaparamita-sutra, le Sutra du Diamant, chaque feuille accompagnée d'un text à l'encre d'or, le tout sur papier bleu encadré de soie brochée jaune pâle, couverture formée de deux plats en hongmu

Each leaf and the surrounding blue-painted paper is mounted on cardboard and yellow silk. some of the. Some of the edges are slightly worn and some of the folded edges torn. The blue ground on each page is very worn and rubbed (visible in the catalogue illustration). The writing on the left hand side of each page is worn but traces of the characters written in black and gold are still visible. The painting on the pipal leaves is very fine and the colours are fresh and vibrant. There are some areas of loss to the pigment along the veins of the leaves and some losses to the veins of the leaves.
"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 texts accompanying the illustrations comprise one chapter each of the Sutra of the Heart of Transcendent Knowledge and the Diamond Sutra. The title of the Sutra of the Hear of Transcendent Knowledge begins with an invocation suggesting it is dedicated to the Buddha of Compassion and is based on the translation completed under Xuanzang in 649 AD.

Two quite similar albums are known. One example comprises 20 dark blue paper pages mounted on ivory silk with miniatures on pipal leaves facing an incomplete version of Kumarajiva’s translation of the Diamond Sutra, similarly bound between two wooden boards and dated to the 18th or 19th century, illustrated in Trésors de Chine et de Haute Asie. Centième Anniversaire de Paul Pelliot, Paris, 1979, n° 104, B.N., coll. Smith-Lesouëf CH 57. A second example is in the collection of the Palace Museum, Taipei, and is published in The Art of Mounting Chinese Painting and Calligraphy,  Taipei, 2008, pp. 138-139. 

In its use of dark blue royal blue paper inscribed in gold and its binding technique, the present album is based on similar albums painted by court artists working in one of the three Imperial painting workshosp in the Forbidden City during the reign of the Qianlong emperor. Compare, for instance, an Imperially commissioned album of eighteen luohan painted on pipal leaves and accompanied by Imperial poems, sold at Sotheby's Hong Kong, 8th October 2010, lot 2631.