Fine Chinese Ceramics And Works of Art

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reflection & enlightenment an exhibition of Chinese Buddhist Gilt-Bronzes from the Jane and Leopold Swergold Collection

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reflection & enlightenment an exhibition of Chinese Buddhist Gilt-Bronzes from the Jane and Leopold Swergold Collection ALL EXHIBITIONS FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

Thursday 11 March 10 am-5 pm Friday 12 March 10 am-5 pm Saturday 13 March 10 am-5 pm Sunday 14 March 10 am-5 pm Monday 15 March 10 am-5 pm Tuesday 16 March 10 am-5 pm Wednesday 17 March 10 am-5 pm FOR THE MOST UP-TO-DATE INFORMATION ON OUR EXHIBITIONS AND AUCTIONS, PLEASE CALL SOTHEBY’S OR VISIT SOTHEBYS.COM

1334 York Avenue New York, NY 10021 +1 212 606 7000 sothebys.com FOLLOW US @SOTHEBYS #SOTHEBYSASIANART

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AN APPRECIATION 謹致 JULIAN KING

The brilliant gilt-bronze sculptures collected by Jane and Leopold Swergold provide a window into a glorious period of China’s illustrious history, when the Silk Road opened up a channel to foreign influences and enabled the dissemination of Buddhism and its deep artistic traditions into the Middle Kingdom. China would never be the same again. Each of the twenty-five bronze sculptures in the collection are unique works of art in themselves, endowed with the dynamic elasticity of movement emanating from the sensitivity of the Indian tradition. As a group, they also encapsulate the development, sinicization and maturity of Chinese sculptural art. The Swergold name will, for posterity, be remembered as one of the most important collections of early Chinese Buddhist bronzes, formed by a couple who advanced the understanding of this esoteric field in the West. The collection is remarkable for the prestigious provenances of the sculptures, representing an encyclopedic list of the great names of 20th century Asian art collecting, including Adolphe Stoclet, Christian Humann, Rafi Mottahedeh, Yamanaka Sadajiro, Robert Ellsworth and Ananda Coomaraswamy. It is only appropriate that such unparalleled provenance is associated with a collecting area as important as early Chinese statuary. It demonstrated great vision for an American couple to focus on this wonderful field, and it is Sotheby’s privilege to present it for exhibition in our New York galleries, providing connoisseurs and visitors alike with an unparalleled opportunity to see early Chinese Buddhist art of a quality rivaling the holdings of the most important museum collections.

絲綢之路對於中國吸收外來文化至關重要。 通過絲綢之路,佛教及佛教藝術西宗東 漸,在中土迅速發展傳播。Jane 及 Leopold Swergold 伉儷之銅鎏金佛像珍藏恰如一扇窗 口,邀人一窺中國佛教史的璀璨與輝煌。 所藏之二十五尊佛像,尊尊獨立,氣韻靈 動,寶像莊嚴,展現了中國造像藝術在秉 承印度傳統的基礎上逐漸漢化之演變、發 展與成熟。是為Swergold 伉儷博學敏求,克 盡所能,終集不世之蘊集。所藏之珍皆來 源極佳,其中不乏諸多上世紀亞洲藝術領 域的重要人物,如 Adolphe Stoclet、Christian Humann、山中定次郎、安思遠以及阿南達• 庫馬拉斯瓦米等。 伉儷二人目光遠博,品味精卓,所集早期佛 教藝術收藏足可與各大博物館館藏相媲美。 今蘇富比榮幸備至,於紐約特別呈展是批藏 珍,與世共賞。 王傑安 高級董事 香港蘇富比

Julian King Senior Director, Sotheby‘s Hong Kong

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REFLECTION & ENLIGHTENMENT AN EXHIBITION OF CHINESE BUDDHIST GILT-BRONZES FROM THE JANE AND LEOPOLD SWERGOLD COLLECTION

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COLLECTOR'S STATEMENT 藏家簡言 THE SWERGOLDS

Scientists would have us believe that what motivates humans to collect has to do with the deep limbic system of the brain which regulates emotions and motivates behavior. This is done by releasing dopamine in the prefrontal neural system. Maybe. We like to think that the motivation to collect comes from a variety of sources all adding up to an undefinable pleasure. This pleasure is derived not only from the visual stimuli received but also from the tangible knowledge gained, the quest to learn satisfied. The diligence and patience that is needed to build a collection is always a challenge. We began our Chinese collecting adventure with mingqi, grave goods, which were the easiest to understand. We then moved on to archaic bronzes, captured by the intricacies of their highly developed casting techniques. Paintings followed but after twenty years we continued to be stymied by the subtleties of these wonderful artists. Finally, we discovered Buddhist gilt-bronzes and were enchanted by their spiritual quality, intimate scale and elegance. Collecting has many collateral benefits, not least of which is interacting with other collectors, enjoying their community, being exposed to highly qualified and intelligent professionals whether curators, academics, dealers or auction house specialists. All of whom have an enthusiasm that is infectious and are willing to share their knowledge.

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從科學的角度來看,人類的收藏行為,是由 位於大腦深處的邊緣系統來控制的,且仰賴 於前額皮葉質中的多巴胺分泌多寡來調節情 緒及行爲。 但我們認為,收藏的樂趣是多方面的,其中 的喜悅無法一言概之。除了單純的視覺享受 之外,在學習專業知識的過程中,也同樣可 以獲得極大的滿足感。與此同時,建立收 藏同樣也是對藏家勤奮及耐心的一個巨大挑 戰。 我們最初的收藏以冥器為主,因為這個品類 相對比較容易入門。之後,我們開始轉向高 古青銅器,尤其對其精細的紋飾十分著迷。 再後來我們也開始收藏書畫,二十年過後, 我們仍然為衆書畫家精湛的藝術造詣讚歎不 已。 在漫漫收藏路上不斷探索的過程中,我們最 終發現了銅鎏金佛像之美,並被其所蘊含的 靈韻及典雅所深深吸引。

REFLECTION & ENLIGHTENMENT AN EXHIBITION OF CHINESE BUDDHIST GILT-BRONZES FROM THE JANE AND LEOPOLD SWERGOLD COLLECTION

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Robert Harrist Jr. at Columbia University has a mantra ‘articulate the obvious’ when looking at an object. This requires long and hard looking at the object, perhaps trying to draw it; only then can one describe it in minute detail and appreciate the quality of the object. It is a tautology – the more you look, the more you see; the more you see, the more you learn; the more you learn the more you see – and the search for the ‘next great one’ goes on. One’s eye continues to develop. Bob singularly taught us how to look at art. Amy Poster, Curator Emerita, Asian Art at the Brooklyn Museum, has been from early days a major motivator and supporter of our collecting. More than anyone else she taught us to conduct careful research and reach for the best.

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收藏藝術品所附帶的益處良多,其中之一即 是通過收藏可以與領域內的策展人、學者、 古董商及拍賣行專家等交流互動。他們學識 廣博,睿智專業,且對藝術熱情橫溢,不吝 賜教。能與各伯樂結識誠是為一件樂事。 哥倫比亞大學中國藝術史教授韓文彬鑒賞藝 術品時,主要秉承「細觀精鑒」的主旨。這 需要長時間對器物的仔細觀察或臨摹描繪。 只有這樣方可洞察器物的每個細節,從而全 面感受其品質與魅力。正所謂觀察越精,所 見越詳,所見越詳,所知越多,所知越多, 則觀察又越精,在如此循環的過程之中,眼 光必可日臻成熟。正因為韓教授的傾囊相 授,我們學到了許多鑒賞之道。

REFLECTION & ENLIGHTENMENT AN EXHIBITION OF CHINESE BUDDHIST GILT-BRONZES FROM THE JANE AND LEOPOLD SWERGOLD COLLECTION

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And so what is it about our Buddhist gilt-bronzes that have come to be the heart of our collecting activity? First, we liked what we saw. Eye appeal is maximally important. There is a heightened aesthetic that exceeds outstanding craftsmanship. The objects are comprehensible, approachable, and uniformly elegant. They exhibit a spirituality. Their small scale allows a connection, an intimacy.

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自我們收藏初期開始,布魯克林博物館亞洲 藝術榮譽退休策展人 Amy Poster 一直對我 們鼎力支持,並教導我們研究必需謹慎且透 徹,精益求精。 初與銅鎏金佛造像結緣,首先即是在視覺上 被其所吸引。視覺感官對於藝術品尤其重 要,美學的內涵及高度,當重於工藝的精 湛。此類造像,靈韻悠然,平和易懂,典雅 莊重。其小巧的尺寸,更易使人與其產生一 種情懷。

REFLECTION & ENLIGHTENMENT AN EXHIBITION OF CHINESE BUDDHIST GILT-BRONZES FROM THE JANE AND LEOPOLD SWERGOLD COLLECTION

Acquiring each piece required that we consider condition, provenance, completeness, iconography and rarity. Most of all each item had to have presence and had to ‘speak to us’. There had to be a direct emotional appeal. We carefully bought what we loved and what we could afford at the time. The process of learning about these incredible objects as well as being their temporary caretakers has given us immense pleasure.

我們入藏每件藏品,均需考慮其狀況、來 源、完整度、象徵及稀有程度,但最為重要 的是每件藏品均能與我們產生共鳴。 我們在自己經濟能力範圍之內認真購藏喜愛 的藏品,作為其暫時的保管者,我們在學習 研究的過程中獲得了巨大的享受,實可謂樂 趣無窮。

SOTHEBY’S

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A GILT-BRONZE BUDDHIST TR I A D NORTHER N W EI DY NA ST Y Height 4⅜ in., 11.1 cm. PROVENANCE

北魏 鎏金銅一佛二菩薩立像 來源 Vallin Galleries,2010年

Vallin Galleries, 2010. EXHIBITED

展覽

Reflection and Enlightenment: Chinese Buddhist Gilt Bronzes from the Jane and Leopold Swergold Collection, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, 2017-2018.

《Reflection and Enlightenment: Chinese Buddhist

LITERATURE

Leopold Swergold, Thoughts on Chinese Buddhist Gilt Bronzes, 2014, pl. 6. Beatrice Chan, “Reflection and Enlightenment: Chinese Buddhist Gilt Bronzes from the Jane and Leopold Swergold Collection at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston”, Arts of Asia, January/February 2018, pp 58-65.

Gilt Bronzes from the Jane and Leopold Swergold Collection》,休士頓美術館,休士頓,2017至 2018年

出版 Leopold Swergold,《Thoughts on Chinese Buddhist This finely cast triad features a central Buddha with the hands in abhaya mudra flanked by a pair of devotees displaying anjali mudra. The group is framed by a powerful flaming mandorla and supported on a two-tiered four-legged platform. The modeling of the faces is evocative of the Hellenistic style so present on Gandharan sculpture and reveals the strong Indian influence still present on bronze Buddhist sculpture of the Northern Wei period.

Gilt Bronzes》,2014年,圖版6 Beatrice Chan,〈Reflection and Enlightenment: Chinese Buddhist Gilt Bronzes from the Jane and Leopold Swergold Collection at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston〉,《Arts of Asia》,2018年1至2 月,頁58至65

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REFLECTION & ENLIGHTENMENT AN EXHIBITION OF CHINESE BUDDHIST GILT-BRONZES FROM THE JANE AND LEOPOLD SWERGOLD COLLECTION

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A BRONZE STELE OF A MITA BH A BUDDH A NORTHER N W EI DY NA ST Y Height 4⅜ in., 11.1 cm. PROVENANCE

北魏 銅阿彌陀佛坐像 來源 藍理捷,紐約,2006年3月

J.J. Lally & Co., New York, March 2006. EXHIBITED

展覽

Reflection and Enlightenment: Chinese Buddhist Gilt Bronzes from the Jane and Leopold Swergold Collection, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, 2017-2018.

《Reflection and Enlightenment: Chinese Buddhist

LITERATURE

Leopold Swergold, Thoughts on Chinese Buddhist Gilt Bronzes, 2014, pl. 4. Beatrice Chan, “Reflection and Enlightenment: Chinese Buddhist Gilt Bronzes from the Jane and Leopold Swergold Collection at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston”, Arts of Asia, January/February 2018, pp 58-65.

Gilt Bronzes from the Jane and Leopold Swergold Collection》,休士頓美術館,休士頓,2017至 2018年

出版 Leopold Swergold,《Thoughts on Chinese Buddhist This elegantly cast votive stele depicts Amitabha, the Buddha of Infinite Light, seated on a platform raised on a quadrangular base, all against a petal-shaped mandorla. The precise linear style that permeates the mandorla and figure is simple yet powerful. It provides a frame for the figure, and also denotes the infinite light radiating from the divine through the mandorla. The treatment of the drapery on the Buddha closely adheres to Gandharan prototypes, but the mode of expression is distinctly sinicized. Another Northern Wei votive stele of similar style, dated by inscription to 530, is in the collection of the Shanghai Museum, illustrated in Zhongguo Jintong Fo [Chinese Gilt Bronze Buddhist Sculptures], Taipei, 1995, pl. 30.

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Gilt Bronzes》,2014年,圖版4 Beatrice Chan,〈Reflection and Enlightenment: Chinese Buddhist Gilt Bronzes from the Jane and Leopold Swergold Collection at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston〉,《Arts of Asia》,2018年1至2 月,頁58至65

REFLECTION & ENLIGHTENMENT AN EXHIBITION OF CHINESE BUDDHIST GILT-BRONZES FROM THE JANE AND LEOPOLD SWERGOLD COLLECTION

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A SM A LL GILT-BRONZE FIGUR E OF PA DM A PA NI LIU SONG DY NA ST Y, INSCR IBED W ITH A DATE COR R ESPONDING TO 474 Height 2½in., 6.4cm PROVENANCE

劉宋元徽二年 鎏金銅蓮華手觀音 立像 銘文: 元徽二年三月廿一日江冲像一區供養

Sen Shu Tey, Tokyo, February 1999.

來源

EXHIBITED

千秋庭,東京,1999年2月

Reflection and Enlightenment: Chinese Buddhist Gilt Bronzes from the Jane and Leopold Swergold Collection, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, 2017-2018.

展覽 《Reflection and Enlightenment: Chinese Buddhist This finely cast small figure depicts the bodhisattva Padmapani, an emanation of Avalokiteshvara, standing in tribhanga, the raised right hand holding a willow branch and left hand holding an amphora. The inscription on the reverse reveals it to be an extremely rare legacy of the Liu Song dynasty (420-479), the shortlived southern dynasty marked by considerable turmoil and war against the Northern Wei. The incised inscription states that the figure was donated by Jiang Chong in the second year of the Yuanhui reign.

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Gilt Bronzes from the Jane and Leopold Swergold Collection》,休士頓美術館,休士頓,2017至2018 年

REFLECTION & ENLIGHTENMENT AN EXHIBITION OF CHINESE BUDDHIST GILT-BRONZES FROM THE JANE AND LEOPOLD SWERGOLD COLLECTION

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A GILT-BRONZE FIGUR E OF A N A PSA R A L ATE NORTHER N W EI - NORTHER N QI DY NA ST Y Width 2¾ in., 7 cm.

北魏末至北齊 鎏金銅飛天像 來源 伊麗莎白 • 斯塔福德(1928-2018)收藏

PROVEN ANCE

Collection of Elizabeth Stafford (1928-2018).

出版

LITERATURE

《Odyssey of an Art Collector: Unity in Diversity –

Odyssey of an Art Collector: Unity in Diversity – 5000 Years of Art, Delgado Museum of Art, New Orleans, 1966, cat. no. 88

5000 Years of Art》,Delgado Museum of Art (現 紐奧良藝術博物館),紐奧良,1966年,編號88

This delightful small fragment is of an apsara, attributed to the Northern Wei - Northern Qi dynasty. Apsaras, divine female spirits of the clouds and water, were used to enliven and animate votive altars, Buddhist triad groups, and cave temples. In these contexts, the representation of the principal subjects, particularly the Buddha with attendant bodhisattvas and arhats, was iconographically proscribed by sutras and contemporaneous religious treatises. By contrast, the treatment of secondary elements in sculptures and cave paintings allowed for greater artistic freedom. It is in this peripheral imagery that artists expressed their unique creative vision, and experimented with the boundaries of pictorial convention. Another bronze sculpture of an apsara in the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, is illustrated in Hugo Munsterberg, Chinese Buddhist Bronzes, Tokyo, 1967, pl. 97.

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REFLECTION & ENLIGHTENMENT AN EXHIBITION OF CHINESE BUDDHIST GILT-BRONZES FROM THE JANE AND LEOPOLD SWERGOLD COLLECTION

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A L A RGE BRONZE FIGUR E OF SH A K YA MUNI BUDDH A W ESTER N W EI DY NA ST Y, INSCR IBED W ITH A DATE COR R ESPONDING TO 539 Height 11⅛ in., 28.2 cm. PROVENANCE

西魏大統五年 銅釋迦牟尼佛坐像 銘文: 大統五年歲在己未六月癸未朔二日甲申永川寺比 丘惠樂造 釋迦牟尼像一區 仰為皇帝陛下七世所 主因緣 眷屬法界眾生 住靜佛□□銅有身

Nakanishi Bunzo, Kyoto. James Freeman, Kyoto. Collection of Norman Kurland. Eskenazi Ltd., London.

來源

EXHIBITED

Norman Kurland 收藏

Harvard University Art Museums, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 2001. Six Dynasties Art from the Norman A. Kurland Collection: Part One, Eskenazi Ltd., London, 2017, cat. no. 26.

中西文三收藏,京都 James Freeman 收藏,京都

埃斯卡納齊,倫敦

展覽 哈佛藝術博物館,劍橋,麻薩諸塞州,2001年 《Six Dynasties Art from the Norman A. Kurland Collection: Part One》,埃斯卡納齊,倫敦,2017 年,編號26

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REFLECTION & ENLIGHTENMENT AN EXHIBITION OF CHINESE BUDDHIST GILT-BRONZES FROM THE JANE AND LEOPOLD SWERGOLD COLLECTION

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This important inscribed bronze figure depicts Shakyamuni Buddha seated in virasana on a waisted Sumeru throne raised on a four-legged pedestal. The right hand is held in abhaya mudra and the left hand in varada mudra. The intricately articulated robe covers the shoulders and falls in waves over the body and the front of the throne, the dynamism of the fabric’s numerous folds alluding to the magnanimous energy within the divine sitter. This sculpture is a superb work of art which testifies to the enduring influence of Northern Wei (386-534) visual traditions on Western Wei (535-557) artistic practices. Cast in the 5th year of the latter dynasty, the style of the present sculpture draws upon representations of the Buddha found in Northern Wei sculptures, such as the figures carved in stone at the Longmen Cave Temples. The inscription on the base records that the present sculpture was commissioned by Monk Huile of the Yongchuan Temple. A similar depiction of a seated Buddha in stone, dated to 540, is illustrated in Saburo Matsubara, A History of Chinese Buddhist Sculpture, Tokyo, 1995, pl. 259B.

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REFLECTION & ENLIGHTENMENT AN EXHIBITION OF CHINESE BUDDHIST GILT-BRONZES FROM THE JANE AND LEOPOLD SWERGOLD COLLECTION

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A GILT-BRONZE VOTI V E FIGUR E OF PA DM A PA NI E A STER N W EI DY NA ST Y, INSCR IBED W ITH A DATE COR R ESPONDING TO 544 Height 6⅝ in., 16.8 cm. PROVENANCE

Collection of Sato Gengen (1888-1963). Collection of Sakamoto Gorō (1923-2016). Sotheby’s Hong Kong, 5th October 2016, lot 3212. EXHIBITED

Reflection and Enlightenment: Chinese Buddhist Gilt Bronzes from the Jane and Leopold Swergold Collection, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, 2017-2018. LITERATURE

Beatrice Chan, “Reflection and Enlightenment: Chinese Buddhist Gilt Bronzes from the Jane and Leopold Swergold Collection at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston”, Arts of Asia, January/February 2018, pp 58-65.

東魏武定二年 鎏金銅蓮華手觀音 立像 銘文: 武定二年十一月廿日故記上曲陽縣人郭政歎造像 一區 來源 佐藤玄々(1888-1963)收藏 坂本五郎(1923-2016)收藏 香港蘇富比2016年10月5日,編號3212

展覽 《Reflection and Enlightenment: Chinese Buddhist Gilt Bronzes from the Jane and Leopold Swergold Collection》,休士頓美術館,休士頓,2017至2018 年

出版 Beatrice Chan,〈Reflection and Enlightenment: Chinese Buddhist Gilt Bronzes from the Jane and Leopold Swergold Collection at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston〉,《Arts of Asia》,2018年1至2月, 頁58至65

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This rare gilt-bronze figure depicts the bodhisattva Padmapani, an emanation of Avalokiteshvara. The inscription dates it to the Eastern Wei dynasty, which ruled northern China from 534 to 550 after the disintegration of the Northern Wei (386-534). Although it still retains strong stylistic influences from India, the treatment of the Eastern Wei Padmapani has become much more sinicized than Northern Wei examples, with less distinct Gandharan influences on key features of the sculpture, such as the drapery. Where Northern Wei figures utilize the Indian mode of representation with graceful curvilinear contours, lithe body, swaying hips and gently tilted head, the current figure stands tall and straight. It is an extremely fine sculpture, with an intricately incised design of the Buddha on the reverse. Another gilt-bronze figure of Padmapani, dated to 543, in the Tokyo National Museum, is illustrated in Mayuyama, Seventy Years, Tokyo, 1976, pl. 117. See also an Eastern Wei gilt-bronze figure of Maitreya, dated to 536, formerly in the collection of Duanfang (1861-1911) and now in the collection of the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, Philadephia (object no. C355.1), illustrated by Osvald Siren, Chinese Sculpture from the Fifth to the Fourteenth Century, New York, 1925, pl. 158.

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A GILT-BRONZE SE ATED FIGUR E OF SH A K YA MUNI BUDDH A NORTHER N QI - SUI DY NA ST Y Height 5⅜ in., 13.6 cm.

北齊至隋 鎏金銅釋迦牟尼佛坐像 來源 柳孝,京都,2007年4月

PROVENANCE

Takashi Yanagi, Kyoto, April 2007.

展覽

EXHIBITED

《Reflection and Enlightenment: Chinese Buddhist

Reflection and Enlightenment: Chinese Buddhist Gilt Bronzes from the Jane and Leopold Swergold Collection, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, 2017-2018.

Gilt Bronzes from the Jane and Leopold Swergold

LITERATURE

Saburo Matsubara, Chūgoku Bukkyō chōkokushi kenkyū : tokuni kondōbutsu oyobi sekkutsu zōzō igai no sekibutsu ni tsuite no ronkō, Kyoto, 1966, p. 215. Seiko Murata, Sho Kondobutsu / The Charm of the Little Bronze Buddha, Tokyo, 2004, cat. no. 64. Leopold Swergold, Thoughts on Chinese Buddhist Gilt Bronzes, 2014, pl. 12. Beatrice Chan, “Reflection and Enlightenment: Chinese Buddhist Gilt Bronzes from the Jane and Leopold Swergold Collection at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston”, Arts of Asia, January/February 2018, pp 58-65.

Collection》,休士頓美術館,休士頓,2017至 2018年

出版 松原三郎,《中國佛敎彫刻史研究 : 特に金銅仏 及び石窟造像以外の石仏に就いての論考》,京 都,1966年,頁215 村田靖子,《小金銅仏の魅力 : 中国・韓半島・ 日本》,東京,2004年,編號64

This rare figure, first published by the renowned Japanese scholar Saburo Matsubara in 1966, depicts Shakyamuni Buddha seated in dhyanasana on an elaborate base with double lotus ring. His expression is beautifully conveyed in serene meditation. His robe, covering both shoulders, is draped over his left arm, with his left hand shown holding a section of the robe, resting on his left knee. Stylistically, the figure can be attributed to the Northern Qi or early Sui dynasty.

Leopold Swergold,《Thoughts on Chinese Buddhist Gilt Bronzes》,2014年,圖版12 Beatrice Chan,〈Reflection and Enlightenment: Chinese Buddhist Gilt Bronzes from the Jane and Leopold Swergold Collection at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston〉,《Arts of Asia》,2018年1至2 月,頁58至65

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REFLECTION & ENLIGHTENMENT AN EXHIBITION OF CHINESE BUDDHIST GILT-BRONZES FROM THE JANE AND LEOPOLD SWERGOLD COLLECTION

3/5/21 2:59 PM


8

A GILT-BRONZE FIGUR E OF A BODHISAT T VA SUI DY NA ST Y Height 4 in., 10.2 cm. PROVENANCE

Collection of Paul Manheim (1905-1999) Sotheby’s New York, 16th September 2009, lot 112 (part lot). EXHIBITED

Brooklyn Museum, New York, 1970-2009 (on loan).

隋 鎏金銅菩薩立像 銘文: 開皇二年七月十五日佛弟子趙回洛為息明和息天 □造象一區 來源 Paul Manheim(1905-1999)收藏 紐約蘇富比2009年9月16日,編號112(其一)

LITERATURE

Leopold Swergold, Thoughts on Chinese Buddhist Gilt Bronzes, 2014, pl. 11.

展覽 布魯克林博物館,紐約,1970至2009年(借展) This sensitively cast figure depicts a bodhisattva with outstretched arms, standing on a waisted columnar pedestal. His serene smile set in a contemplative expression. The finely incised details, especially on the flaming mandorla, are key elements of early Sui sculptural style, before the gradual transition to the rounded volumes and clinging drapery of the Tang.

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出版 Leopold Swergold,《Thoughts on Chinese Buddhist Gilt Bronzes》,2014年,圖版11

REFLECTION & ENLIGHTENMENT AN EXHIBITION OF CHINESE BUDDHIST GILT-BRONZES FROM THE JANE AND LEOPOLD SWERGOLD COLLECTION

3/5/21 2:59 PM


9

A GILT-BRONZE FIGUR E OF AVA LOK ITESH VA R A SUI DY NA ST Y Height 6⅝ in., 16.8 cm. PROVENANCE

Collection of Fong Chow (1923-2012), acquired prior to 1990. Christie’s New York, 20th March 2014, lot 2048.

隋 鎏金銅觀世音菩薩立像 來源 周方(1923-2012)收藏,得於1990年之前 紐約佳士得2014年3月20日,編號2048

EXHIBITED

展覽

Reflection and Enlightenment: Chinese Buddhist Gilt Bronzes from the Jane and Leopold Swergold Collection, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, 2017-2018.

《Reflection and Enlightenment: Chinese Buddhist

LITERATURE

Leopold Swergold, Thoughts on Chinese Buddhist Gilt Bronzes, 2014, pl. 13. Beatrice Chan, “Reflection and Enlightenment: Chinese Buddhist Gilt Bronzes from the Jane and Leopold Swergold Collection at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston”, Arts of Asia, January/February 2018, pp 58-65.

Gilt Bronzes from the Jane and Leopold Swergold Collection》,休士頓美術館,休士頓,2017至 2018年

出版 Leopold Swergold,《Thoughts on Chinese Buddhist Gilt Bronzes》,2014年,圖版13 Beatrice Chan,〈Reflection and Enlightenment: Chinese Buddhist Gilt Bronzes from the Jane and Leopold Swergold Collection at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston〉,《Arts of Asia》,2018年1至2 月,頁58至65

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REFLECTION & ENLIGHTENMENT AN EXHIBITION OF CHINESE BUDDHIST GILT-BRONZES FROM THE JANE AND LEOPOLD SWERGOLD COLLECTION

3/5/21 2:59 PM


This large, sensitively cast figure depicts the bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara standing on a hollow lotus base on an octagonal plinth, wearing an elaborate long trailing shawl and a dhoti tied with a sash. The slender body held in an erect yet graceful pose exemplifies the essence of Sui sculptural style, and bears only the slightest hint of the more sensuous forms to follow in the Tang dynasty. The attribute of the willow branch, that first appears in the late 6th century, corroborates the identification of the figure and period. A similar Sui dynasty gilt-bronze figure in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, is published in Denise Patry Leidy and Donna Strahan, Wisdom Embodied: Chinese Buddhist and Daoist Sculpture in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New Haven, 2010, pl. 12.

SOTHEBY’S

HK1144.indb 34-35

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10

A MINI ATUR E GILT-BRONZE FIGUR E OF BUDDH A SUI DY NA ST Y Height 2⅜ in, 6 cm. PROVENANCE

Collection of Paul Manheim (1905-1999). Sotheby’s New York, 16th September 2009, lot 112 (part lot). EXHIBITED

隋 鎏金銅佛立像 來源 Paul Manheim (1905-1999)收藏 紐約蘇富比2009年9月16日,編號112(其一)

展覽 布魯克林博物館,紐約,1970至2009年(借展)

Brooklyn Museum, New York, 1970-2009 (on loan).

This finely cast miniature figure depicts Buddha standing on a rectangular pedestal. The particularly elongated and columnar treatment of the body indicates that the figure was made prior to the Tang dynasty, when sculptors moved toward a representational mode that expressed greater movement and anatomical detail.

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REFLECTION & ENLIGHTENMENT AN EXHIBITION OF CHINESE BUDDHIST GILT-BRONZES FROM THE JANE AND LEOPOLD SWERGOLD COLLECTION

3/5/21 2:59 PM


11

A GILT-BRONZE FIGUR E OF A MITA BH A BUDDH A SUI - E A R LY TA NG DY NA ST Y Height 4⅜ in., 11.1 cm. PROVENANCE

Zondewan, Brussels, 8th April 1916. Collection of Adolphe Stoclet (1871-1949). Collection of Raymonde Féron-Stoclet (1897-1963). Eskenazi, Ltd., London, March 2003.

隋至唐初 鎏金銅阿彌陀佛坐像 來源 Zondewan,布魯塞爾,1916年4月8日 Adolphe Stoclet (1871-1949) 收藏 Raymonde Féron-Stoclet (1897-1963) 收藏 埃斯卡納齊,倫敦,2003年3月

EXHIBITED

Exhibition of Chinese Art, Municipal Museum, Amsterdam, 1925. Cleveland Museum of Art, 1980-93 (on loan). Collectors’ Choice, Asia Society, New York, 2007. Expressions of the Buddhist Faith, University of Virginia Art Museum, Charlottesville, 2010. Reflection and Enlightenment: Chinese Buddhist Gilt Bronzes from the Jane and Leopold Swergold Collection, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, 2017-2018.

展覽

LITERATURE

《Expressions of the Buddhist Faith》,維吉尼亞大

Leigh Ashton, An Introduction to the Study of Chinese Sculpture, London, 1924 pl. XL, fig. 2. Exhibition of Chinese Art, Municipal Museum, Amsterdam, 1925, no. 99. H.F.E. Visser, Asiatic Art in Private Collections of Holland and Belgium, Amsterdam, 1948, pl. 79, no. 154. Georges A. Salles and Daisy Lion-Goldschmidt, Collection Adophe Stoclet, Brussels, 1956, pp 384-385 . Jacques Van Goldsenhoven, Héros et Divinités de la Chine, Brussels, 1971, pl. 71 Leopold Swergold, Thoughts on Chinese Buddhist Gilt Bronzes, 2014, pl. 17. Beatrice Chan, “Reflection and Enlightenment: Chinese Buddhist Gilt Bronzes from the Jane and Leopold Swergold Collection at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston”, Arts of Asia, January/February 2018, pp 58-65.

學美術館,夏洛茨維爾,2010年

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《Exhibition of Chinese Art》,阿姆斯特丹博物 館,1925年 克利夫蘭藝術博物館,1980至1993年(借展) 《Collectors’ Choice》,亞洲協會,紐約,2007年

《Reflection and Enlightenment: Chinese Buddhist Gilt Bronzes from the Jane and Leopold Swergold Collection》,休士頓美術館,休士頓,2017至 2018年

REFLECTION & ENLIGHTENMENT AN EXHIBITION OF CHINESE BUDDHIST GILT-BRONZES FROM THE JANE AND LEOPOLD SWERGOLD COLLECTION

3/5/21 2:59 PM


This extremely rare figure depicts Amitabha, the Buddha of Infinite Light, who rules over the Western Paradise where the faithful are reborn on lotus blossoms. He is seated with legs crossed in padmasana, eyes closed and face radiating an expression of serene meditation. His neatly cropped hair reveals the prominent ushnisha. Seated figures of the Sui dynasty are rarely found. Here, the elegance of the richly gilded sculpture, which is devoid of the elaborate jewelry and exhibits a more slender face and body, corroborates a Sui date. Originally acquired by the renowned Belgian collector Adolphe Stoclet in 1916, the figure has an illustrious publication and exhibition history.

出版 Leigh Ashton,《 An Introduction to the Study of Chinese Sculpture》,倫敦,1924年,圖版 XL, 圖2 《Exhibition of Chinese Art》,阿姆斯特丹博物 館,1925年,編號99 H.F.E. Visser,《Asiatic Art in Private Collections of Holland and Belgium》,阿姆斯特丹,1948年,圖 版79,編號154 Georges A. Salles 及 Daisy Lion-Goldschmidt, 《Collection Adophe Stoclet》,布魯塞爾,1956 年,頁384至385 Jacques Van Goldsenhoven,《Héros et Divinités de la Chine》,布魯塞爾,1971年,圖版71 Leopold Swergold,《Thoughts on Chinese Buddhist Gilt Bronzes》,2014年,圖版17 Beatrice Chan,〈Reflection and Enlightenment: Chinese Buddhist Gilt Bronzes from the Jane and Leopold Swergold Collection at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston〉,《Arts of Asia》,2018年1至2 月,頁58至65 SOTHEBY’S

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12

A GILT-BRONZE FIGUR E OF AVA LOK ITESH VA R A TA NG DY NA ST Y Height 6 in., 15.3 cm. PROVENANCE

Kyushiu Collection, Japan. Ikeda, 1975. M. Kumazawa, Tokyo, 1980. EXHIBITED

Reflection and Enlightenment: Chinese Buddhist Gilt Bronzes from the Jane and Leopold Swergold Collection, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, 2017-2018.

唐 鎏金銅觀世音菩薩立像 來源 Kyushiu收藏,日本 Ikeda,1975年 M. Kumazawa,東京,1980年

展覽 《Reflection and Enlightenment: Chinese Buddhist

LITERATURE

Gilt Bronzes from the Jane and Leopold Swergold

Leopold Swergold, Thoughts on Chinese Buddhist Gilt Bronzes, 2014, pl. 27.

Collection》,休士頓美術館,休士頓,2017至 2018年

This crisply cast figure depicts the bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara standing in tribhanga in sumptuous dress, with fluttering scarves, a long dhoti and elaborate jewelry. It lacks the traditional small figure of Amitabha in the crown, but the presence of the kundika in the left hand identifies the subject as Avalokiteshvara. A similar figure in the Takenouchi Collection, Tokyo, is illustrated in Osvald Siren, Chinese Sculpture, vols I - II, Bangkok, 1998, pl. 418B, where it is attributed to the high Tang period.

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出版 Leopold Swergold,《Thoughts on Chinese Buddhist Gilt Bronzes》,2014年,圖版27

REFLECTION & ENLIGHTENMENT AN EXHIBITION OF CHINESE BUDDHIST GILT-BRONZES FROM THE JANE AND LEOPOLD SWERGOLD COLLECTION

3/5/21 3:00 PM


13

A GILT-BRONZE FIGUR E OF PA DM A PA NI TA NG DY NA ST Y Height 10⅞ in., 27.6 cm. PROVENANCE

Yamanaka & Co., Inc. Parke-Bernet Galleries, Inc., New York, 26th May 1944, lot 505. Collection of Mrs. Alice Spalding Bowen (1890-1981). Honolulu Museum of Art, Honolulu, 1953-1967. Collection of Robert H. Ellsworth, New York, 1967-1972. Collection of Christian Humann (d.1981), New York, by 1972, named the PanAsian Collection by 1977. Collection of Robert H. Ellsworth, New York, acquired in 1982. Christie’s New York, 17th May 2015, lot 15. EXHIBITED

Nihon Kotoji Shina Bijutsu Tenrankai [Exhibition of Japanese Ceramics and Ancient Chinese Art], Yamanaka & Co Ltd., Osaka Bijutsu Club, Osaka, 1934, cat. no. 59. Collection of Chinese and Other Far Eastern Art, Yamanaka & Company, Inc., New York, 1943, cat. no. 111. Denver Art Museum, 1972-1983 (on loan). Reflection and Enlightenment: Chinese Buddhist Gilt Bronzes from the Jane and Leopold Swergold Collection, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, 2017-2018.

唐 鎏金銅蓮華手觀音坐像 來源 山中商會 Parke-Bernet Galleries,Inc.,紐約,1944年5月26 日,編號505 Alice Spalding Bowen 夫人 (1890-1981)收藏 檀香山藝術博物館,檀香山,1953至1967年 安思遠收藏,紐約,1967至1972年 Christian Humann(1981年逝)收藏,紐約,1972 年之前,1977年之前改名為 Pan-Asian 收藏 安思遠收藏,紐約,得於1982年 紐約佳士得2015年5月17日,編號15

展覽 《日本古陶磁支那古美術展覧会》,山中商會 , 大阪美術俱樂部,大阪,1934年,編號59

LITERATURE

《Collection of Chinese and Other Far Eastern Art》,

Comprehensive Illustrated Catalogue of Chinese Buddhist Statues in Overseas Collection, vol. 5, Beijing, 2005, pl. 910.

山中商會,紐約,1943年,編號111 丹佛美術館,1972至1983年(借展) 《Reflection and Enlightenment: Chinese Buddhist

This large finely cast figure can be identified as Padmapani, a manifestation of the bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara, by the lotus blossom at the left shoulder. Depicted seated in lalitasana adorned in sumptuous beaded jewelry with hair pulled into a high top knot, the sculpture embodies the style of the high Tang period, with its sensitive treatment of the natural curves and flow of the body. This representational mode was influenced by Indian art, and the characteristics include a rounded face, well-modeled cheeks, a subtly sensuous silhouette, and opulent jewelry. Compare a seated bodhisattva in similar posture, illustrated in Saburo Matsubara, Chinese Buddhist Sculpture, Tokyo, 1966, pl. 269.

Gilt Bronzes from the Jane and Leopold Swergold Collection》,休士頓美術館,休士頓,2017至 2018年

出版 《中國流失海外佛教造像總合圖目》,卷5,北 京,2005年,圖版910

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REFLECTION & ENLIGHTENMENT AN EXHIBITION OF CHINESE BUDDHIST GILT-BRONZES FROM THE JANE AND LEOPOLD SWERGOLD COLLECTION

3/5/21 3:00 PM


14

A GILT-BRONZE FIGUR E OF AVA LOK ITESH VA R A TA NG DY NA ST Y Height 3¾ in., 9.5 cm. EXHIBITED

Reflection and Enlightenment: Chinese Buddhist Gilt Bronzes from the Jane and Leopold Swergold Collection, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, 2017-2018.

唐 鎏金銅觀世音菩薩立像 展覽 《Reflection and Enlightenment: Chinese Buddhist Gilt Bronzes from the Jane and Leopold Swergold Collection》,休士頓美術館,休士頓,2017至

LITERATURE

2018年

Beatrice Chan, “Reflection and Enlightenment: Chinese Buddhist Gilt Bronzes from the Jane and Leopold Swergold Collection at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston”, Arts of Asia, January/February 2018, pp 58-65.

出版 Beatrice Chan,〈Reflection and Enlightenment: Chinese Buddhist Gilt Bronzes from the Jane and

This elegantly cast figure of Avalokiteshvara is one of the smaller and more typical in contrast to the larger figure of Avalokiteshvara in this exhibition, cat. no. 9. The figure is depicted standing in tribhanga, adorned in a long dhoti and fluttering scarves. The slim features and elegantly curved posture are representative of the artistic style of the high Tang.

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Leopold Swergold Collection at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston〉,《Arts of Asia》,2018年1至2 月,頁58至65

REFLECTION & ENLIGHTENMENT AN EXHIBITION OF CHINESE BUDDHIST GILT-BRONZES FROM THE JANE AND LEOPOLD SWERGOLD COLLECTION

3/5/21 3:00 PM


15

A L A RGE GILT-BRONZE FIGUR E OF A BODHISAT T VA TA NG DY NA ST Y Height 7⅛ in., 18 cm.

唐 鎏金銅菩薩立像 來源 紐約蘇富比2004年9月22日,編號7

PROVENANCE

Sotheby’s New York, 22nd September, 2004, lot 7.

展覽

EXHIBITED

《Reflection and Enlightenment: Chinese Buddhist

Reflection and Enlightenment: Chinese Buddhist Gilt Bronzes from the Jane and Leopold Swergold Collection, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, 2017-2018.

Gilt Bronzes from the Jane and Leopold Swergold

LITERATURE

Leopold Swergold, Thoughts on Chinese Buddhist Gilt Bronzes, 2014, pl. 20.

Collection》,休士頓美術館,休士頓,2017至 2018年

出版 This elegant bodhisattva, depicted standing in tribhanga on a waisted lotus pedestal and stepped hexagonal base, is adorned in a long dhoti and fluttering scarves. The kundika in the left hand, and the willow branch in the right, identify the figure as Avalokiteshvara. The contours of the slender body are well defined in the contrapposto silhouette and the wet-drapery effect of the clothing, all of which are characteristic of Buddhist sculptural in the high Tang dynasty. The curving form of the deity’s torso achieves an almost dancelike movement. This highly recognizable stylistic element of the swayed-hip posture became especially popular during the reign of Emperor Xuanzong (712-756), when sculptures in general became more dynamic in their design.

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Leopold Swergold,《Thoughts on Chinese Buddhist Gilt Bronzes》,2014年,圖版20

REFLECTION & ENLIGHTENMENT AN EXHIBITION OF CHINESE BUDDHIST GILT BRONZES FROM THE JANE AND LEOPOLD SWERGOLD COLLECTION

3/5/21 3:00 PM


16

A GILT-BRONZE FIGUR E OF ELEV EN-HE A DED AVA LOK ITESH VA R A TA NG DY NA ST Y Height 8½ in., 21.6 cm. PROVENANCE

Yamanaka & Co., New York. Parke-Bernet Galleries, Inc., New York, 27th May 1944, lot 724. Collection of Rafi Y. Mottahedeh (1901-1978). Sotheby Parke-Bernet, New York, 4th November 1978, lot 211. Connecticut Private Collection. Sotheby’s New York, 23rd March 2011, lot 691. EXHIBITED

Reflection and Enlightenment: Chinese Buddhist Gilt Bronzes from the Jane and Leopold Swergold Collection, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, 2017-2018.

唐 鎏金銅十一面觀世音菩薩立像 來源 山中商會,紐約 Parke-Bernet Galleries, Inc.,紐約,1944年5月27 日,編號724 Rafi Y. Mottahedeh (1901-1978) 收藏 蘇富比Parke-Bernet,紐約,1978年11月4日,編 號211 康乃狄克州私人收藏 紐約蘇富比2011年3月23日,編號691

LITERATURE

展覽

Leopold Swergold, Thoughts on Chinese Buddhist Gilt Bronzes, 2014, pl. 26.

《Reflection and Enlightenment: Chinese Buddhist Gilt Bronzes from the Jane and Leopold Swergold Collection》,休士頓美術館,休士頓,2017至

This unusual figure depicts Avalokiteshvara standing in tribhanga on a lotus platform. Of the six arms, one pair holds the hands in anjali mudra in front of the chest, while the others respectively hold a pierced star-shaped symbol of the sun and the moon, a kundika, a rosary, and a lotus stem with an attendant bud. The dynamic eleven-headed form is derived from the Indian tradition, where deities with supernatural powers had the ability to manifest themselves in as many as thirty-three different forms to help those in need. Here the eleven heads enable the bodhisattva to detect need in every direction, reminding devotees of the mercy and compassion of Avalokiteshvara.

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2018年

出版 Leopold Swergold,《Thoughts on Chinese Buddhist Gilt Bronzes》,2014年,圖版26

REFLECTION & ENLIGHTENMENT AN EXHIBITION OF CHINESE BUDDHIST GILT BRONZES FROM THE JANE AND LEOPOLD SWERGOLD COLLECTION

3/5/21 3:00 PM


17

A GILT-BRONZE SE ATED FIGUR E OF SH A K YA MUNI BUDDH A TA NG DY NA ST Y Height 4⅝ in., 11.7 cm.

唐 鎏金銅釋迦牟尼佛坐像 來源 紐約蘇富比2005年9月22日,編號10

PROVENANCE

Sotheby’s New York, 22nd September 2005, lot 10.

展覽

EXHIBITED

《Reflection and Enlightenment: Chinese Buddhist

Reflection and Enlightenment: Chinese Buddhist Gilt Bronzes from the Jane and Leopold Swergold Collection, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, 2017-2018.

Gilt Bronzes from the Jane and Leopold Swergold

LITERATURE

Leopold Swergold, Thoughts on Chinese Buddhist Gilt Bronzes, 2014, pl. 16. Beatrice Chan, “Reflection and Enlightenment: Chinese Buddhist Gilt Bronzes from the Jane and Leopold Swergold Collection at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston”, Arts of Asia, January/February 2018, pp 58-65.

Collection》,休士頓美術館,休士頓,2017至 2018年

出版 Leopold Swergold,《Thoughts on Chinese Buddhist Gilt Bronzes》,2014年,圖版16

This intricately cast figure depicts Shakyamuni Buddha seated in dhyanasana with one hand resting upon the knee and the other raised in vitarka mudra. He sits on a high-waisted plinth cast with a band of crisply defined lotus petals, their pointed tips arcing upward to create rhythmic movement around the support. Small votive figures of the Teaching Buddha were popular during the mid-Tang dynasty. For similar examples, see a figure formerly in the Nitta Collection and now in the collection of the National Palace Museum, Taipei, illustrated in The Crucible of Compassion and Wisdom. Special Exhibition Catalog of the Buddhist Bronzes from the Nitta Group Collection, National Palace Museum, Taipei, 1985, cat. no. 69.

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Beatrice Chan,〈Reflection and Enlightenment: Chinese Buddhist Gilt Bronzes from the Jane and Leopold Swergold Collection at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston〉,《Arts of Asia》,2018年1至2 月,頁58至65

REFLECTION & ENLIGHTENMENT AN EXHIBITION OF CHINESE BUDDHIST GILT BRONZES FROM THE JANE AND LEOPOLD SWERGOLD COLLECTION

3/5/21 3:00 PM


18

A GILT-BRONZE FIGUR E OF A BODHISAT T VA TA NG DY NA ST Y Height 4½ in., 11.4 cm. PROVENANCE

唐 鎏金銅菩薩坐像 來源 藍理捷,紐約,2008年

J.J. Lally & Co., New York, 2008. EXHIBITED

展覽

Reflection and Enlightenment: Chinese Buddhist Gilt Bronzes from the Jane and Leopold Swergold Collection, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, 2017-2018.

《Reflection and Enlightenment: Chinese Buddhist

LITERATURE

Collection》,休士頓美術館,休士頓,2017至

Leopold Swergold, Thoughts on Chinese Buddhist Gilt Bronzes, 2014, pl. 18. Beatrice Chan, “Reflection and Enlightenment: Chinese Buddhist Gilt Bronzes from the Jane and Leopold Swergold Collection at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston”, Arts of Asia, January/February 2018, pp 58-65.

Gilt Bronzes from the Jane and Leopold Swergold

2018年

出版 Leopold Swergold,《Thoughts on Chinese Buddhist This elegantly cast figure depicts a benevolent bodhisattva seated in lalitasana with right hand raised in vitarka mudra. He is adorned with elaborate jewelry and a celestial billowing scarf, and clad in a loose dhoti with drapery elegantly cascading in folds around the legs.

Gilt Bronzes》,2014年,圖版18

The form of the figure itself, and the graceful folds of the robes, retain the influences of Hellenistic art in their adherence to the contours of a realistically conceived body, and in the way the drapery spills over the edge of the seat. The slight tilt in the figure’s hips and the turn of the head further imbue the bodhisattva with dynamism and vitality. These are characteristic features of the high Tang period.

Leopold Swergold Collection at the Museum of Fine

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Beatrice Chan,〈Reflection and Enlightenment: Chinese Buddhist Gilt Bronzes from the Jane and

Arts, Houston〉,《Arts of Asia》,2018年1至2 月,頁58至65

REFLECTION & ENLIGHTENMENT AN EXHIBITION OF CHINESE BUDDHIST GILT BRONZES FROM THE JANE AND LEOPOLD SWERGOLD COLLECTION

3/5/21 3:00 PM


19

A GILT-BRONZE SE ATED FIGUR E OF M A ITR EYA TA NG DY NA ST Y Height 3¾ in., 9.5 cm. PROVENANCE

Collection of Ananda Coomaraswamy (1877-1947), circa 1920.

唐 鎏金銅彌勒佛坐像 來源 阿南達•庫馬拉斯瓦米(1877-1947) 收藏,約1920 年

EXHIBITED

Reflection and Enlightenment: Chinese Buddhist Gilt Bronzes from the Jane and Leopold Swergold Collection, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, 2017-2018.

展覽

LITERATURE

Gilt Bronzes from the Jane and Leopold Swergold

Leopold Swergold, Thoughts on Chinese Buddhist Gilt Bronzes, 2014, pl. 21.

《Reflection and Enlightenment: Chinese Buddhist

Collection》,休士頓美術館,休士頓,2017至 2018年

This sensitively cast figure depicts Maitreya, the Buddha of the Future, in characteristic seated position with right hand in abhaya mudra and left hand on the knee. A stylistically similar figure in the Ivan Hart Collection is illustrated in Hugo Munsterberg, Chinese Buddhist Bronzes, Tokyo, 1967, pl. 15, also attributed to the high Tang period.

出版 Leopold Swergold,《Thoughts on Chinese Buddhist Gilt Bronzes》,2014年,圖版21

The present figure was originally in the collection of Ananda Kentish Muthu Coomaraswamy (1877-1947), the Tamil polymath who was arguably the first historian to interpret Indian art for a Western audience, and served as the first Keeper of Indian art at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston from 1917 to 1947.

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REFLECTION & ENLIGHTENMENT AN EXHIBITION OF CHINESE BUDDHIST GILT BRONZES FROM THE JANE AND LEOPOLD SWERGOLD COLLECTION

3/5/21 3:00 PM


20

A GILT-BRONZE FIGUR E OF A BUDDHIST DISCIPLE TA NG DY NA ST Y Height 3 in., 7.6 cm.

唐 鎏金銅尊者立像 來源 藍理捷,紐約,2010年6月

PROVENANCE

J.J. Lally & Co., New York, June 2010.

展覽

EXHIBITED

《Reflection and Enlightenment: Chinese Buddhist

Reflection and Enlightenment: Chinese Buddhist Gilt Bronzes from the Jane and Leopold Swergold Collection, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, 2017-2018.

Gilt Bronzes from the Jane and Leopold Swergold

LITERATURE

Leopold Swergold, Thoughts on Chinese Buddhist Gilt Bronzes, 2014, pl. 22. Beatrice Chan, “Reflection and Enlightenment: Chinese Buddhist Gilt Bronzes from the Jane and Leopold Swergold Collection at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston”, Arts of Asia, January/February 2018, pp 58-65.

Collection》,休士頓美術館,休士頓,2017至 2018年

出版 Leopold Swergold,《Thoughts on Chinese Buddhist Gilt Bronzes》,2014年,圖版22

This richly gilded figure depicts a young Buddhist disciple. His distinct characteristics, including the youthful face with a bald head, long earlobes and quiet countenance, positioned standing on a plain lotus pod, suggest that the figure may represent a youthful Ananda, the primary attendant of Shakyamuni Buddha. A similar example in Harvard Art Museum, bequest of Grenville L. Winthrop, (acc. no. 1943.53.66) is illustrated in Leopold Swergold, Thoughts on Chinese Buddhist Gilt Bronzes, 2014, pl. 14.

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Beatrice Chan,〈Reflection and Enlightenment: Chinese Buddhist Gilt Bronzes from the Jane and Leopold Swergold Collection at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston〉,《Arts of Asia》,2018年1至2 月,頁58至65

REFLECTION & ENLIGHTENMENT AN EXHIBITION OF CHINESE BUDDHIST GILT BRONZES FROM THE JANE AND LEOPOLD SWERGOLD COLLECTION

3/5/21 3:00 PM


21

A GILT-BRONZE FIGUR E OF A DVA R A PA L A TA NG DY NA ST Y Height 3 in., 7.6 cm. EXHIBITED

Reflection and Enlightenment: Chinese Buddhist Gilt Bronzes from the Jane and Leopold Swergold Collection, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, 2017-2018.

唐 鎏金銅力士立像 展覽 《Reflection and Enlightenment: Chinese Buddhist Gilt Bronzes from the Jane and Leopold Swergold Collection》,休士頓美術館,休士頓,2017至

LITERATURE

2018年

Beatrice Chan, “Reflection and Enlightenment: Chinese Buddhist Gilt Bronzes from the Jane and Leopold Swergold Collection at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston”, Arts of Asia, January/February 2018, pp 58-65.

出版 Beatrice Chan,〈Reflection and Enlightenment: Chinese Buddhist Gilt Bronzes from the Jane and

This finely cast small figure with strong muscular features depicts a dvarapala, a male gate or entrance guardian figure, typically depicted supporting a ledge, or the ferocious lokapala or tianhuang (Heavenly King) that were placed in pairs to protect the four corners of the universe. Traditionally dvarapala were portrayed as frightening creatures with strong masculine bodies. The present figure is a fine example of a sinicized version of the guardian, which is derived from Guptaperiod (320-550) imagery that shows dvarapala in human-form and adorned with accessories.

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Leopold Swergold Collection at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston〉,《Arts of Asia》,2018年1至2 月,頁58至65

REFLECTION & ENLIGHTENMENT AN EXHIBITION OF CHINESE BUDDHIST GILT BRONZES FROM THE JANE AND LEOPOLD SWERGOLD COLLECTION

3/5/21 3:00 PM


22

A R A R E GILT-BRONZE FIGUR E OF L AOJUN TA NG DY NA ST Y Height 3¾ in., 9.7 cm. PROVENANCE

Nagatani Inc., Chicago, 2nd November 1953. Collection of Stephen Junkunc, III (d. 1978). Sotheby’s New York, 10th September 2019, lot 209.

唐 鎏金銅老君坐像 來源 Nagatani Inc.,芝加哥,1953年11月2日 史蒂芬 • 瓊肯三世(1978年逝)收藏 紐約蘇富比,2019年9月10日,編號209

This extremely rare figure, cast seated cross-legged on an octagonal base holding a fan, with a small scholar’s cap and pointed beard, appears to depict Laojun or Daode Tianzun (Celestial Worthy of the Way and Its Virtue), one of the three highest gods in the Daoist pantheon. Two similar gilt-bronze Daoist figures from the Tang dynasty, each modeled with the same full beard, hat and three-legged armrest, are illustrated in Saburo Matsubara, Chinese Buddhist Sculpture. A Study Based on Bronze and Stone Statues other than from Cave Temples, Tokyo, 1966, p. 312, figs. c and d. See also a stone figure of Laozi, similarly depicted and also holding a fan, attributed to the Tang dynasty, in the Museum of East Asian Art, Cologne, exhibited in Taoism and the Arts of China, Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, 2000, cat. no. 39.

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REFLECTION & ENLIGHTENMENT AN EXHIBITION OF CHINESE BUDDHIST GILT BRONZES FROM THE JANE AND LEOPOLD SWERGOLD COLLECTION

3/5/21 3:00 PM


23

A GILT-BRONZE FIGUR E OF A BUDDHIST DEVOTEE TA NG DY NA ST Y Height 3⅛ in., 8 cm.

唐 鎏金銅供養人立像 來源 藍理捷,紐約,2009年

PROVENANCE

J.J. Lally & Co., New York, 2009.

展覽

EXHIBITED

《Reflection and Enlightenment: Chinese Buddhist

Reflection and Enlightenment: Chinese Buddhist Gilt Bronzes from the Jane and Leopold Swergold Collection, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, 2017-2018.

Gilt Bronzes from the Jane and Leopold Swergold

LITERATURE

Leopold Swergold, Thoughts on Chinese Buddhist Gilt Bronzes, 2014, pl. 23. Beatrice Chan, “Reflection and Enlightenment: Chinese Buddhist Gilt Bronzes from the Jane and Leopold Swergold Collection at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston”, Arts of Asia, January/February 2018, pp 58-65.

Collection》,休士頓美術館,休士頓,2017至 2018年

出版 Leopold Swergold,《Thoughts on Chinese Buddhist Gilt Bronzes》,2014年,圖版23

This finely cast figure, in which the original gilding is unusually well preserved, depicts a female Buddhist devotee standing with hands held in anjali mudra. Her delicate face is set in an expression of serene contemplation, her hair tied in a boat-shaped top knot. The rectangular tang that projects from the base would have allowed the figure to be inserted into a slot on the original platform. Another gilt-bronze figure of similar size and form is illustrated in Chinese Art from the Ferrris Luboshez Collection, University of Maryland Art Gallery, Baltimore, 1972, pl. 106.

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Beatrice Chan,〈Reflection and Enlightenment: Chinese Buddhist Gilt Bronzes from the Jane and Leopold Swergold Collection at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston〉,《Arts of Asia》,2018年1至2 月,頁58至65

REFLECTION & ENLIGHTENMENT AN EXHIBITION OF CHINESE BUDDHIST GILT BRONZES FROM THE JANE AND LEOPOLD SWERGOLD COLLECTION

3/5/21 3:00 PM


24

A GILT-BRONZE FIGUR E OF THOUSA ND-A R MED AVA LOK ITESH VA R A TA NG - LI AO DY NA ST Y Height 2¼ in., 5.7 cm. EXHIBITED

Reflection and Enlightenment: Chinese Buddhist Gilt Bronzes from the Jane and Leopold Swergold Collection, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, 2017-2018.

唐至遼 鎏金銅千手千眼觀世音菩薩 立像 展覽 《Reflection and Enlightenment: Chinese Buddhist Gilt Bronzes from the Jane and Leopold Swergold Collection》 ,休士頓美術館,休士頓,2017至2018年

LITERATURE

Beatrice Chan, “Reflection and Enlightenment: Chinese Buddhist Gilt Bronzes from the Jane and Leopold Swergold Collection at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston”, Arts of Asia, January/February 2018, pp 58-65.

出版 Beatrice Chan,〈Reflection and Enlightenment: Chinese Buddhist Gilt Bronzes from the Jane and Leopold Swergold Collection at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston〉,

This rare small gilt-bronze figure depicts Avalokiteshvara in his ‘thousandarm’ form. Avalokiteshvara is the bodhisattva of compassion and protector of the world. Meher McArthur in Reading Buddhist Art, London, 2002, p. 43, states that Avalokiteshvara is the ‘subject of the 24th chapter of the Lotus Sutra, in which he is described as looking in all directions in order to attempt to save all beings from the suffering of the world.’ The ‘one-thousand-armed’ Avalokiteshvara belongs to esoteric Buddhism with the arms symbolizing his many powers for saving the world and helping followers to gain enlightenment. The central pair of arms is in anjali mudra, the prayer gesture, while the outer arms are in various mudras or hold objects that represent his powers. Lokesh Chandra in The Thousand-armed Avalokitesvara, New Delhi, 1988, p. 48, explains that the thousand-armed depiction of Avalokiteshvara first appeared in Chinese art during the reign of the first Tang emperor, Tang Gaozu (AD 618626), before being transmitted throughout Central Asia and Japan.

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《Arts of Asia》,2018年1至2月,頁58至65

REFLECTION & ENLIGHTENMENT AN EXHIBITION OF CHINESE BUDDHIST GILT BRONZES FROM THE JANE AND LEOPOLD SWERGOLD COLLECTION

3/5/21 3:00 PM


25

A BRONZE FIGUR E OF THE BUDDH A OF MEDICINE FI V E DY NA STIES PER IOD - LI AO DY NA ST Y Height 3½ in., 8.9 cm.

五代至遼 銅藥師佛坐像 來源 藍理捷,紐約,2006年9月

PROVENANCE

J.J. Lally & Co., New York, September 2006.

展覽

EXHIBITED

《Reflection and Enlightenment: Chinese Buddhist

Reflection and Enlightenment: Chinese Buddhist Gilt Bronzes from the Jane and Leopold Swergold Collection, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, 2017-2018.

Gilt Bronzes from the Jane and Leopold Swergold

LITERATURE

Leopold Swergold, Thoughts on Chinese Buddhist Gilt Bronzes, 2014, pl. 28.

Collection》,休士頓美術館,休士頓,2017至 2018年

出版 The figure depicts the Buddha of Medicine in a posture of meditation with legs in padmasana, his hands holding a humble alms bowl. The throne beneath him is well-defined with a stepped cylindrical base surmounted by an open lotus blossom, the overlapping petals each individually articulated. Traces of the original gilt on lacquer can be seen throughout. The figure displays characteristics of the Five Dynasties period, but is more likely to date to the Liao period, whose emperors were devout Buddhists, and under whose reign religious art flourished. The Buddhist imagery of this period fused Tang dynasty styles, which appealed to the bold aesthetic favored by the Northern nomadic people, with the refined sensibility of Song dynasty artistic expression.

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Leopold Swergold,《Thoughts on Chinese Buddhist Gilt Bronzes》,2014年,圖版28

REFLECTION & ENLIGHTENMENT AN EXHIBITION OF CHINESE BUDDHIST GILT BRONZES FROM THE JANE AND LEOPOLD SWERGOLD COLLECTION

3/5/21 3:00 PM


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3/5/21 3:00 PM


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