54. 54PW IMPORTANTE ET TRÈS RARE STATUE DE BODHISATTVA GUANYIN EN BOIS Dynastie Jin (1124-1235) A MAGNIFICENT AND VERY RARE LARGE WOOD FIGURE OF THE BODHISATTVA GUANYIN IN WATER MOON FORM Jin dynasty Seated in rajalitasana, with the right arm resting on his right raised knee and his left arm and hand resting on the ground and supporting the body, the bare torso dressed in a short cape with long ribbons falling over his arms, a narrow, scarf draped over the left shoulder, falling diagonally across his chest and tied on the left in a large limpid knot, the lower body covered with a full diaphanous wrap-around skirt falling in linear folds around his legs and ankles, tied around the waist with an elaborate bow, a bejeweled necklace with an ornate central pendant lies at this chest, bracelets at his wrists, his rounded face with a serene, meditative expression, with arched brows above downcast eyes inlaid with black glass, with high cheekbones, small, full pursed lips and rounded chin, the hair drawn up into a high curled chignon with tresses falling to each shoulder where they are bound, divided into three wavy strands falling over his shoulders and arms, traces of blue, red and green pigments, and traces of gilding. 111cm (43 3/4in) high. THE PROPERTY OF A DISTINGUISHED FRENCH FAMILY 法國顯赫家族藏品 金 木雕水月觀音坐像 Provenance: Ta-Kou-Tchai (Studio for Understanding Antiquity) of Paul Houo-Ming-Tse (Paul Hou Ming-Zhi, ca. 1880-1949), Beijing, before 1930 Alphonse Bellier et Andre Portier, Collection Paul Houo-Ming-Tse de Pékin. Objets d'Art de la Chine de Époques Archaïques au XVIIIe Siècle., Vente aux Encheres publiques, Hôtel Drouot, 15, 16 et 17 Février 1932, lot 63 Acquired in Paris by the grandfather of the present owners before 1935, and thence by descent Published, Illustrated and Exhibited Paul Huo-Ming-Tse, Preuves des Antiquités de Chine Pékin, 1930, p.297 Alphonse Bellier et Andre Portier, Collection Paul Houo-Ming-Tse de Pékin. Objets d'Art de la Chine de Époques Archaïques au XVIIIe Siècle., Vente aux Enchères publiques, Hôtel Drouot, 15, 16 et 17 Février 1932, lot 63 Gazette de L'Hôtel Drouot, Numéro 19, Mardi 16 Février 1932, cover page Cabinet Portier, 100 Ans 1909–2009, Paris, 2010, fig.100 The result of Re.S. Artes Radiocarbon Dating test no. C 145020A (E1 and E2) (9 May 2023) is consistent with the dating of this lot. 來源： 霍明志（约1880-1949)，達古齋，北京，1930年以前入藏 巴黎德魯奧拍卖會，1932年2月15-17日，霍明志藏品專場，編號63 現任藏家祖父於1935年前於巴黎獲得，並由後人保存迄今 出版： 霍明志,《達古齋古證錄》，北京, 1930年, 頁297 巴黎德魯奧，《霍明志藏品專場圖錄》，編號63 《巴黎德魯奧公報》封面，第19期，1932年2月16日 Cabinet Portier,《百年鑒藏1909-2009》，巴黎，2010年，圖100 法國Re.S.Artes實驗室碳-14測定結果，測試編號 C 145020A (樣本E1和E2，2023年5月9日）顯示本拍品年份與斷代相符 Eyes of Compassion This impressive sculpture seated in a contemplative pose is a religious sculpture that was made in the 11th/12th century under the Jin dynasty (1115-1234). It represents the Buddhist Bodhisattva Guanyin whose Sanskrit name is Avalokiteshvara, 'the Lord who looks down'. Known as Guanshiyin in Chinese, the Bodhisattva Guanyin is the one who is attuned to the sounds of the worlds and hears all the world's suffering. His inward-turning gaze expresses The Bodhisattva's powers as a comforter of humans suffering and hardship while his naturalistic image expresses proximity and approachability. This Bodhisattva is known as the Bodhisattva of infinite compassion, he who has attained enlightenment and the utter state of bliss but who has deferred entering Nirvana to ease the suffering of all humans. As such he is one of the most important deities in Mahayana Buddhism. This magnificent figure of the Bodhisattva Guanyin is seated in the pose of 'Royal Ease', with his right hand resting on his right bent knee, a posture that is known as the 'Water-Moon' form of the Bodhisattva Guanyin (Shuiyue Guanyin in Chinese). The iconography is based on important Buddhist scriptures referring to the Bodhisattva Guanyin, in particular the Avatamasaka Sutra from the Huayan Jing , the Sutra of Flower Adornment, and the Fahua Jing, the Lotus Sutra. They portray the Bodhisattva Guanyin as the universal saviour who can embody many different forms, male and female, young and old. The 'Water-Moon' iconography is based on passages from the Avatamsaka Sutra which describe the young prince Sudhana visiting the Bodhisattva Guanyin on Mount Potalaka to receive the teachings of the Dharma. It is here that the Bodhisattva Guanyin could be found in deep contemplation of the moon's reflection on the water of the surrounding sea. His Chinese name ' Shuiyue Guanyin' refers to this pose and to his nature attuned to the sounds of the world and able to hear all the world's suffering ( guanyin). This figure is sculpted as male deity for his defined torso is clearly visible beneath his diaphanous robes and bejewelled necklace. His garments reveal the strong Indian influence on sculpture of this period, almost a thousand years since Buddhism first reached China from India. He is dressed luxuriously with diaphanous scarves and skirt falling in ample folds around his body. An elaborate necklace suspending a large central pendant adorns his chest and we can assume that he was wearing bejewelled earrings. His costly attire and regal posture remind us that Bodhisattvas originally were aristocratic princes. His hair is carefully tied back in a high chignon. A depression on the front of the top know indicates that a small carved figure of the Buddha may originally have been placed here. Amitabha was similarly revered as the figure of compassion and the figure of Guanyin was to be born from a ray of light emanating from the right eye of the Buddha Amithaba. During the 10th to 13th centuries, painted wooden figures such as this magnificent figure of the Bodhisattva Guanyin in Water-Moon form were made for Buddhist temples in Northern China. At that time, the North of China was ruled by the Jurchen Jin dynasty (1115-1234), a nomadic people from the steppes of Central Asia that had defeated in war the two largest and most powerful nations in Asia, the Khitan Liao and the Han Chinese. Under the Jin, Buddhism flourished. The Jin rulers were highly conscious of the fact that Buddhism was not a native Chinese religion. Under their patronage Buddhism received the official support and veneration it lacked in other parts of the empire. Consequently, a plethora of Buddhist temples thrived in and around Buddhist centres of religious activity in Taiyuan and Mount Wutai in modern Shanxi province. The Jurchen Jin rulers gradually adopted Buddhism as the state religion, thus establishing a rich legacy of temples, tombs, and artefacts. Large sculptures such as this magnificent figure of the Bodhisattva Guanyin in Water-Moon form were originally made for important Buddhist temples. These were often large structures with several halls of worship connected by courtyards where groups of vibrantly painted wood sculptures would be positioned along walls and around central figures of devotion. Due to the large demand for religious sculpture for the furnishings of Buddhist temples, craftsmen soon moved from working in stone to sculpting in wood, a material that was less expensive and could be worked more easily. Traces of bright cobalt blue pigment and gilding can be found in the back of the folds of the skirt of this figure hinting at the colours that once made this figure come alive. The sheer size of the figure that is worked entirely in the round conveys an almost life-like impression. It hints at the original sumptuousness and overwhelming visual effect that awaited visitors who first entered a temple. They would have encountered this sculpture in an elaborate stage setting with painted murals and along with many other sculpted wood figures of Buddhist deities. Like other figures of this large size, the present Bodhisattva Guanyin figure was made of several individual blocks of wood that were jointed with wooden pegs before being covered with a light gesso that was then painted with colours obtained from natural dyes. Cracks along the jointing lines and rectangular holes indicate where the different blocks of wood were positioned. Traces of vivid blue and red pigment hint at the original colours. The eyes are inlaid with black glass and emphasize the figure's intense regard. A large rectangular cavity on the upper back reveals that the figure is hollowed. The surface pattern of the wood suggests that it may be from the Paulownia species (Chinese name paotong), a precious wood commonly used to make sculpture in the 11th to 13th centuries as it was soft and light. Quite a few large-scale wood figures of the Bodhisattva Guanyin in Water-Moon form dating the late Northern Song and Jin dynasties are known and have survived mostly in Western museum collections, as Petra Rösch has documented in Chinese Wood Sculptures of the 11th to 13th Centuries. Images of Water-moon Guanyin in Northern Chinese Temples and Western Collections, Stuttgart, 2007, pp. 266-268, 318-320 and 363-384. Many of these sculptures originally came from temples in Northern China. Some of the most prominent examples include a figure in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art, accession number 1984-10, a Water Moon Guanyin in the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, accession number AK-MAK-84, and a large example in the collection of the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City, accession number 34-10, and finally a large figure in the collection of the Seattle Art Museum, accession number 35.17. All these figures share the same distinctive stylistic features with the present large Water Moon Guanyin, especially the treatment of the full face, of slightly square shape, softly carved and rounded, the complex, almost exaggerated hairdo on top of his head and around his ears, the highly ornamental crown or diadem, the heavy necklaces with suspending large pendants, the skilfully rendered delicately falling folds of the diaphanous scarves that cross from figures' left shoulders to the right hip and the scarves that are draped from the right shoulder across the upper right arm to the elbow. They also share the same deeply serene, contemplative expression that imbues these magnificent figures with a deep spirituality. However, while those 11th to 13th century wood figures of Bodhisattva Guanyin in Water-Moon form presented by Petra Rösch in her thesis, are all stylistically related, it has so far not been possible to accurately attribute some of these figures to specific workshops or temples, let alone identify figures that belonged to one ensemble. The present Bodhisattva is no exception. While it is stylistically close to all known figures of this type and period, it has two features that distinguish it from other figures. They include the way the scarf is falling in waves along the left arm, the way the scarf end is loosely woven in and out of the rest that is draped across his torso and waist and not tied in a knot as on other figures. The closest counterparts to the present Bodhisattva are a similarly large figure of the Bodhisattva Guanyin in the Water-Moon form, now in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art (accession number 1984-70) and dated to the late Northern Song/Jin dynasties, and a figure of the Water Moon Guanyin in the collection of the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco (accession number B60S24) which is dated to the Song dynasty. But like all known wood figures of the Bodhisattva Guanyin in Water-Moon form made between the 11th and 13th centuries, the current figure is unique. Its discovery adds to the mystery surrounding the origins of these rare early testimonies of large Buddhist wood sculpture which continues fascinate collectors, scholars, and curators alike. 慈眼視衆生 該尊11-12世紀之金代（1115-1234）觀音造像氣勢恢弘，姿態栩然，仿若正在凝神沉思。觀音菩薩梵文名為Avalokiteshvara，意即「俯首觀世」，中文譯作觀世音或觀音。該尊造像垂目端坐，寶相莊嚴，如在悲憫眾生，但雕工所現的種種寫實細節又讓其觀之可親。觀音在大乘佛教中為最核心的神祇之一，雖本已成佛，卻以其大慈悲心，為度眾生，再輪迴入娑婆世界，以菩薩形象教化凡俗，救苦救難。 菩薩法相變化萬千，而此種雙腿一盤一屈及右臂輕放於屈膝之上的「如意坐」姿則出自《華嚴經》及《法華經》。《華嚴經》中講述善財童子往普陀洛迦山參訪佛法，見觀音道場於「巖谷之中，泉流縈映」。坐於山岩之上、觀水中之月的自在愜意觀音形象即由此衍生，因而此造型的觀音造像亦有「水月觀音」之名。 此觀音像以男性形象示人，薄紗與瓔珞覆蓋之下仍可見其挺拔健碩的軀幹。雖然此時佛教已傳入中土上千年，但印度風格仍在該像上歷歷可見：衣褶流暢而富韻味，胸前垂精緻瓔珞，雙耳或曾佩環璫。其富麗穿戴及高貴姿態在提醒觀者信眾菩薩成道前原為王子之貴重出身。該造像束髮高髻，髮髻前方的凹陷處原應為一小型佛龕，置有阿彌陀佛像。阿彌陀佛同樣亦為慈悲化身，傳說觀音形象即為阿彌陀佛一束佛光所化。 公元10至13世紀間，如該水月觀音像般華麗恢宏的彩繪木雕造像廣為見於華北佛寺。其時華北正處於女真族所建金國（1115-1234）治下。女真族原以狩獵爲生，遊居於歐亞草原之上，後逐漸強大並擊敗契丹及中國，入主華北。在金代治下，佛教日益隆盛。本身作為中原外族，女真族亦意識到佛教並非中國本土宗教，因而對其大加支持尊崇。亦因此，在其統治中心附近的山西太原及五台山一帶，叢林廣建，梵音處處。金代的女真族統治者遂在這一傳統之上，以佛教為國教，並為後世遺下深受佛教影響的寺廟、墓葬及物質文化遺產。 體量如該尊水月觀音般宏大的造像通常是為名剎大寺所造。這些佛寺往往規模龐大，屋高殿廣，院落連綿，其中常以彩繪木雕造像繞殿安置，又或是拱立中心大佛。由於對造像的需求巨大，工匠很快從石刻佛像轉向價格低廉、加工更爲容易的木雕。在該尊觀音造像的衣褶之下，明麗的鈷藍仍依稀可見，令人想見當初彩繪之華麗絢爛。而其宏大立體的造型則更增其生動。不難想像，當香客步入森嚴佛殿中，目賭四壁彩繪壁畫及眾木雕佛像時可感受到的觀感震撼。 正如其他大型造像一樣，此水月觀音像亦是由數段木塊經木釘接合而成，再覆以石膏並在其上以天然色料施加彩繪。從連接處及背後接榫方孔四周的裂縫亦可一窺木塊組合之處。殘留的紅藍彩繪依然明亮，不難想見當初的明豔華麗。眼珠為漆黑玻璃所製，更顯深邃。從背後接榫方孔處可見佛像內部中空。木材表面的紋路表明其或為泡桐木。該種木材質地輕軟，在11至13世紀被廣泛用於木像雕刻。 據石翠（Petra Rösch）著Chinese Wood Sculptures of the 11th to 13th Centuries: Images of Water-moon Guanyin in Northern Chinese Temples and Western Collections（11至13世紀的中國木雕像：華北寺廟及西方收藏的水月觀音像，斯圖加特，2007，頁266-268，318-320，363-384）所載，北宋及金代的大型木雕水月觀音造像傳世不少且多藏於西方博物館館藏中。其中大多來自華北地區的名川大剎，如克里夫蘭藝術博物館藏品號為1984-10的一尊、阿姆斯特丹國家博物館的水月觀音像（藏品號AK-MAK-84）、納爾遜-阿特金斯藝術博物館的34-10號藏品，以及西雅圖藝術博物館館藏編號為35.17的一尊大型造像。它們在造型上都與本尊造像頗有共通之處，尤其是稍顯方正的面部處理、自然圓滑的刀工、複雜誇張的髮髻、精緻華麗的寶冠、交纏垂墜的瓔珞，以及紗袍和帔帛之上自然優美的衣紋。同樣地，它們也都專注刻劃觀音凝神靜思、傾聽世音的慈悲形象。 然而，即使石翠在其著作中所收錄的11至13世紀水月觀音像都有著相關的風格造型，想要確切地辨析這些造像來自何處依然困難重重，更不要說鑑別出同屬一個群像組合的作品了。本菩薩造像也不例外。雖然它與其他同時代同類型的水月觀音造像相似，但也有其獨特之處，包括其左臂之上的帔帛呈波浪狀的飄垂方式，以及帔帛末端並未如其他造像般繫結，而是鬆散地掖在軀幹和腰部處。現已知與該像最為相似的可能是克里夫蘭藝術博物館中編號為1984-70的一尊北宋/金代大型水月觀音像，以及三藩市亞洲藝術博物館藏的宋代水月觀音像（藏品號B60S24）。但正如所有其他傳世至今的11至13世紀水月觀音像，本尊造像也是獨一無二的作品。其亮相將令藏家、學者，以及策展人們進一步思考這些罕見的早期大型木雕佛教造像的起源。