明初 銅鎏金觀音菩薩半跏像

assise en rajalilasana le pied gauche reposant sur une fleur de lotus, la main droite posée sur son genou relevé tenant une perle entre le pouce et l'index et la main gauche reposant sur un vase posé sur le côté, le visage rond aux yeux baissés en méditation, le nez fin et les lèvres charnues, encadré par de longs lobes d'oreille ornés de bijoux, le front ceint d'un fin diadème surmonté d'une effigie du Bouddha Amitabha, les cheveux coiffés en arrière formant de longues mèches tombant le long des épaules recouvertes d'une étoffe plissée, le torse orné d'une parure de perles, les jambes couvertes d'un vêtement noué à la taille aux bordures incisées de motifs floraux, socle en bois (2)

Ilhamy Hussein帕夏收藏、摩纳哥 (1908-1992年)
摩纳哥、Ader Tajan、1993年3月14日、編號69

The figure is in overall very good condition. The tip of the right index finger and tip of one of the right braids are broken off. The neck of the vase is leaning to one side. There are several filled in casting flaws to the lower back, left hip, side of the left knee and right lower leg. There is a casting flaw to the heel of the lotus base under the figure's left foot. Traces of red pigment in the corners of the mouth. Traces of a round adhesive label on the back. The beautifully rich gilding is slightly worn, particularly to the cheeks, nose, eyes, forehead, hands and left knee. It is beautifully cast and heavy in weight, with beautiful proportions.
"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."

Finely cast and delicately rendered, this figure illustrates the blending of the Chinese and Indo-Himalayan imagery that emerged in the latter part of the Yuan dynasty. Draped in robes that reveal his physique, his square face and long braids which are typical of Nepalese works, while the plump hands and feet and the proportions of the body, particularly the broad shoulders that taper down to a narrow waist and long legs, derive from Chinese traditions.

Seated in the pose of ‘royal ease’ and holding a mani, or wish-fulfilling pearl, representing the vibrant and luminous state of mind which is flawless, pure and perfect, this figure is likely to depict the Water-Moon Guanyin (Shuiye), a representation derived from Tang dynasty paintings. It is thought that these paintings, which no longer survive, served as prototypes for sculptors and such representations of Guanyin were particularly popular during the Song period, for a comprehensive discussion of this subject see Angela Falco Howard et. al, Chinese Sculpture, New Haven, 2006, p. 388. The moon is believed to be the controller of the water, circulating through the universe and sustaining all living creatures; moreover the moon in water is common in Buddhist scriptures and symbolises the transitory nature of the world. Although there is no scriptural basis for linking Guanyin with these metaphors, it is thought this imagery was adopted and adapted from sources outside Buddhism.

The reclining pose is thought to originate from an episode in the ‘Flower Garland’, or Avatamsuka Sutra, in which its protagonist, the young Sudhana in his search for true wisdom, seeks Avalokitesvara on his island residence of Mount Potalaka. The divine Compassionate One appears seated in ‘royal ease’ inside a grotto and debates with
Sudhana. The spread of the Avatamsaka Sutra in China from the 10th century saw the concurrent development of this posture, compare Derek Gilman, ‘A New Image in Chinese Buddhist Sculpture of the Tenth to Thirteenth Century’, Transactions of the Oriental Ceramic Society, vol. 47, 1982-83, pp 32-44.

Compare a related figure, in the Art Gallery of New South Wales, illustrated in Edmund Capon, Art Gallery of New South Wales: Highlights from the Collection, Sydney, 2008, pl. 169; a figure of the Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara in Water-Moon manifestation, but with a pointed chignon, in the Royal Ontario Museum, included in the exhibition The World of Khubilai Khan. Chinese Art in the Yuan Dynasty, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 2010, cat. no. 149, and another example in the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, included in Hai-wai yi-chen, Taiwan, 1990, pl. 164. The textile borders, long torso and ovoid drapery folds on the legs are also comparable with a figure of a Bodhisattva, but seated cross-legged, offered at Christie’s Hong Kong, 2nd November 1999, lot 770.