36
AN EXCEPTIONAL LARGE LIMESTONE FIGURE OF A BODHISATTVA, TANG DYNASTY
1/28
Das Auktionshaus hat für dieses Los keine Ergebnisse veröffentlicht
Wien
Beschreibung
AN EXCEPTIONAL LARGE LIMESTONE FIGURE OF A BODHISATTVA, TANG DYNASTY
China, 618-907. Beautifully carved in the round, standing in a nuanced contrapposto with a vase held in the proper left hand, the body lavishly adorned with beaded necklaces and jeweled pendants.
Provenance: Arthur Huc (1854-1932). Marcel Huc, inherited from the above. Thence by descent within the same family. Arthur Huc was the chief editor of La Dépêche du Midi, at the time the leading newspaper in Toulouse, France. He was also an accomplished art critic and early patron of several artists, including Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. At the same time, Arthur Huc was a keen collector of Asian art, a passion that he inherited from his legendary ancestor Évariste Régis Huc, also known as the Abbé Huc (1813–1860), a French Catholic priest and traveler who became famous for his accounts of Qing-era China, Mongolia and especially the then-almost-unknown Tibet in his book “Remembrances of a Journey in Tartary, Tibet, and China”.
Condition: Extensive weathering, wear, breaks, losses and erosions as visible on the images at www.zacke.at. Remnants of an old varnish coating. Two structural cracks, one at the neck and one just above the feet, both with old fillings. Considering the age of this statue, the condition must still be regarded as highly satisfying.
French Export License: Certificat d’exportation pour un bien culturel Nr. 185432 dated 3.07.2017 has been granted and is accompanying this lot.
Scientific Report: A detailed microanalysis report, issued by Laboratoire M.S.M.A.P. SARL, Sciences des Matériaux Anciens et du Patrimoine - Etude des objets d’art, Nr. 20-050 OA (dated 02/24/20) is accompanying this object. The report states that the characteristics of the present lot are “in accordance with the assumed origin and age of the object.” (please see scans of the report online at www.zacke.at)
Weight: 98 kg (including the base)
Dimensions: 100 cm (without the base)
This figure of a bodhisattva is remarkable for its graceful pose, naturalistic, yet genderless physique, elegant flowing skirt and scarves, and voluminous flower-decorated hair style. It is a classic example of China’s Buddhist stone carving from the period that saw perhaps the greatest flowering of China’s plastic arts, the High Tang period under Emperor Xuanzong (r. 713-755). An elaborate multi-strand necklace is hanging down from the shoulders along either side of the sensual, rounded belly and stops just above the ankles, centered by a lotus pendant. The dhoti is ribbon-tied above the waist and cascades in folds along the contours of the legs. The head bears a five-pointed diadem just below a minuscule statue of Amithaba. The figure stands on a single lotus base, raised from a square plinth flanked by two guardian lions.
In the early Tang period we begin to see a more naturalistic approach to the depiction of Buddhist deities, for example in late 7th century caves at Longmen, constructed under Empress Wu (624-705), where bodhisattvas are already rendered as more human figures, standing with a slight swerve to the body and performing naturalistic gestures (Zhongguo meishu quanji: Diaosu bian [Complete series on Chinese art: Sculpture section], vol. 11, Shanghai, 1988, pl. 183 and Ryumon Sekkutsu / Longmen Caves, exhibition catalogue, The Miho Museum, n. p., 2001, p. 62). The full transformation towards a ravishingly beautiful, sensuous naturalism in Buddhist imagery, where the religious message is delivered through a very accessible form of human beauty did, however, only materialized in the High Tang period. This era marks the fully matured style of Buddhist stone sculpture, a style similarly manifested also in gilt bronze, clay and wood, and it unquestionably marks one of the finest periods of China’s sculptural tradition, which brought forth some of the country’s most impressive figurative masterpieces.
The Tang dynasty saw an unequalled flowering of the Buddhist doctrine and imagery, which exerted a major influence on all strata of Chinese society right up to the court. The present figure with its deliberate indication of a well-formed, youthful, swaying body, the weight slightly shifted to one leg, the fleshy yet compact torso exposed and the legs clearly visible under a thin, clinging garment, is a prime example of such High Tang Buddhist imagery in stone. While the figure is depicted as genderless and not specifically identified as the bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara, the opulent coiffure suggests a female deity and the benevolent face clearly evokes the ‘Bodhisattva of Compassion’, better known as the Goddess of Mercy, Guanyin.
Associated modern metal base. (2)
Literature comparison: Although this sculpture stands firmly in the stylistic context of its period, only few closely related works appear to have survived. Even if similarities with contemporary cave sculptures found in situ are obvious, since their style dominated the arts and crafts of the period, variations of facial expression, jewelry and dress are to be expected on freestanding sculptures produced by locally working craftsmen. Bodhisattva figures depicted in a comparable manner can be seen, for example, at the Tianlongshan Caves near Taiyuan in Shanxi, one of the smaller ensembles of rock carvings in north China, with only twenty-one caves. Carving here continued from the end of the Northern Wei right through to the Tang. The faces carved in the somewhat coarse stone are characterized by particularly soft features, and some caves are renowned for their flamboyant Tang carvings in the fully matured Chinese carving style of the High Tang period. Compare three bodhisattva figures from Tianlongshan, one in situ, illustrated in Tianlongshan shiku [Tianlongshan rock caves], Beijing, 2003, pl. 124, and another in the Boston Museum of Fine Arts (37.329) (fig. 1), and the third, lacking its head, in the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco (René-Yvon Lefebvre d’Argencé, ed., Chinese, Korean and Japanese Sculpture in the Avery Brundage Collection, San Francisco, 1974, pl. 108). The Tianlongshan bodhisattvas are, however, characterized by a more voluptuous roundness of the faces as well as the bodies.
In its general pose and physique, the present sculpture can also be compared to two bodhisattva figures of similar date attributed to the Longmen Caves, both formerly in the Junkunc Collection, sold at Christie’s New York, 21st September 1995, lots 301 and 302, the former illustrated in Osvald Sirén, Chinese Sculpture from the Fifth to the Fourteenth Century, London, 1925, pl. 464. These Longmen figures, however, display a much more solid physique. The prevalent carving style of the period reflected by this bodhisattva figure can equally be seen on steles, where two such figures are flanking a central Buddha; see, for example, Matsubara Saburo, Chugoku Bukkyo chokoku shiron [Historical survey of Chinese Buddhist sculpture], Tokyo, 1995, vol. 3, particularly 656b, 658b, 660b, 663a and 670 for examples from the High Tang and slightly earlier.
Auction result comparison: Compare with a closely related white marble statue at Sotheby’s New York in Junkunc: Arts of Ancient China, 19 March 2019, lot 120, sold for USD $740,000.
大型石灰石雕菩薩立像，唐代
中國，618-907。菩薩雕刻精美，立在蓮花座上，左手握住花瓶，身體上裝飾有瓔珞首飾。
來源：此像源自法國阿瑟∙胡克（1854-1932）收藏。馬爾塞∙胡克繼承，家族保存。阿瑟∙胡克先生曾是圖盧斯市《快訊》極受歡迎的時政記者，直至193
Full description on lot-tissimo.com
China, 618-907. Beautifully carved in the round, standing in a nuanced contrapposto with a vase held in the proper left hand, the body lavishly adorned with beaded necklaces and jeweled pendants.
Provenance: Arthur Huc (1854-1932). Marcel Huc, inherited from the above. Thence by descent within the same family. Arthur Huc was the chief editor of La Dépêche du Midi, at the time the leading newspaper in Toulouse, France. He was also an accomplished art critic and early patron of several artists, including Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. At the same time, Arthur Huc was a keen collector of Asian art, a passion that he inherited from his legendary ancestor Évariste Régis Huc, also known as the Abbé Huc (1813–1860), a French Catholic priest and traveler who became famous for his accounts of Qing-era China, Mongolia and especially the then-almost-unknown Tibet in his book “Remembrances of a Journey in Tartary, Tibet, and China”.
Condition: Extensive weathering, wear, breaks, losses and erosions as visible on the images at www.zacke.at. Remnants of an old varnish coating. Two structural cracks, one at the neck and one just above the feet, both with old fillings. Considering the age of this statue, the condition must still be regarded as highly satisfying.
French Export License: Certificat d’exportation pour un bien culturel Nr. 185432 dated 3.07.2017 has been granted and is accompanying this lot.
Scientific Report: A detailed microanalysis report, issued by Laboratoire M.S.M.A.P. SARL, Sciences des Matériaux Anciens et du Patrimoine - Etude des objets d’art, Nr. 20-050 OA (dated 02/24/20) is accompanying this object. The report states that the characteristics of the present lot are “in accordance with the assumed origin and age of the object.” (please see scans of the report online at www.zacke.at)
Weight: 98 kg (including the base)
Dimensions: 100 cm (without the base)
This figure of a bodhisattva is remarkable for its graceful pose, naturalistic, yet genderless physique, elegant flowing skirt and scarves, and voluminous flower-decorated hair style. It is a classic example of China’s Buddhist stone carving from the period that saw perhaps the greatest flowering of China’s plastic arts, the High Tang period under Emperor Xuanzong (r. 713-755). An elaborate multi-strand necklace is hanging down from the shoulders along either side of the sensual, rounded belly and stops just above the ankles, centered by a lotus pendant. The dhoti is ribbon-tied above the waist and cascades in folds along the contours of the legs. The head bears a five-pointed diadem just below a minuscule statue of Amithaba. The figure stands on a single lotus base, raised from a square plinth flanked by two guardian lions.
In the early Tang period we begin to see a more naturalistic approach to the depiction of Buddhist deities, for example in late 7th century caves at Longmen, constructed under Empress Wu (624-705), where bodhisattvas are already rendered as more human figures, standing with a slight swerve to the body and performing naturalistic gestures (Zhongguo meishu quanji: Diaosu bian [Complete series on Chinese art: Sculpture section], vol. 11, Shanghai, 1988, pl. 183 and Ryumon Sekkutsu / Longmen Caves, exhibition catalogue, The Miho Museum, n. p., 2001, p. 62). The full transformation towards a ravishingly beautiful, sensuous naturalism in Buddhist imagery, where the religious message is delivered through a very accessible form of human beauty did, however, only materialized in the High Tang period. This era marks the fully matured style of Buddhist stone sculpture, a style similarly manifested also in gilt bronze, clay and wood, and it unquestionably marks one of the finest periods of China’s sculptural tradition, which brought forth some of the country’s most impressive figurative masterpieces.
The Tang dynasty saw an unequalled flowering of the Buddhist doctrine and imagery, which exerted a major influence on all strata of Chinese society right up to the court. The present figure with its deliberate indication of a well-formed, youthful, swaying body, the weight slightly shifted to one leg, the fleshy yet compact torso exposed and the legs clearly visible under a thin, clinging garment, is a prime example of such High Tang Buddhist imagery in stone. While the figure is depicted as genderless and not specifically identified as the bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara, the opulent coiffure suggests a female deity and the benevolent face clearly evokes the ‘Bodhisattva of Compassion’, better known as the Goddess of Mercy, Guanyin.
Associated modern metal base. (2)
Literature comparison: Although this sculpture stands firmly in the stylistic context of its period, only few closely related works appear to have survived. Even if similarities with contemporary cave sculptures found in situ are obvious, since their style dominated the arts and crafts of the period, variations of facial expression, jewelry and dress are to be expected on freestanding sculptures produced by locally working craftsmen. Bodhisattva figures depicted in a comparable manner can be seen, for example, at the Tianlongshan Caves near Taiyuan in Shanxi, one of the smaller ensembles of rock carvings in north China, with only twenty-one caves. Carving here continued from the end of the Northern Wei right through to the Tang. The faces carved in the somewhat coarse stone are characterized by particularly soft features, and some caves are renowned for their flamboyant Tang carvings in the fully matured Chinese carving style of the High Tang period. Compare three bodhisattva figures from Tianlongshan, one in situ, illustrated in Tianlongshan shiku [Tianlongshan rock caves], Beijing, 2003, pl. 124, and another in the Boston Museum of Fine Arts (37.329) (fig. 1), and the third, lacking its head, in the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco (René-Yvon Lefebvre d’Argencé, ed., Chinese, Korean and Japanese Sculpture in the Avery Brundage Collection, San Francisco, 1974, pl. 108). The Tianlongshan bodhisattvas are, however, characterized by a more voluptuous roundness of the faces as well as the bodies.
In its general pose and physique, the present sculpture can also be compared to two bodhisattva figures of similar date attributed to the Longmen Caves, both formerly in the Junkunc Collection, sold at Christie’s New York, 21st September 1995, lots 301 and 302, the former illustrated in Osvald Sirén, Chinese Sculpture from the Fifth to the Fourteenth Century, London, 1925, pl. 464. These Longmen figures, however, display a much more solid physique. The prevalent carving style of the period reflected by this bodhisattva figure can equally be seen on steles, where two such figures are flanking a central Buddha; see, for example, Matsubara Saburo, Chugoku Bukkyo chokoku shiron [Historical survey of Chinese Buddhist sculpture], Tokyo, 1995, vol. 3, particularly 656b, 658b, 660b, 663a and 670 for examples from the High Tang and slightly earlier.
Auction result comparison: Compare with a closely related white marble statue at Sotheby’s New York in Junkunc: Arts of Ancient China, 19 March 2019, lot 120, sold for USD $740,000.
大型石灰石雕菩薩立像，唐代
中國，618-907。菩薩雕刻精美，立在蓮花座上，左手握住花瓶，身體上裝飾有瓔珞首飾。
來源：此像源自法國阿瑟∙胡克（1854-1932）收藏。馬爾塞∙胡克繼承，家族保存。阿瑟∙胡克先生曾是圖盧斯市《快訊》極受歡迎的時政記者，直至193
Full description on lot-tissimo.com
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AN EXCEPTIONAL LARGE LIMESTONE FIGURE OF A BODHISATTVA, TANG DYNASTY
China, 618-907. Beautifully carved in the round, standing in a nuanced contrapposto with a vase held in the proper left hand, the body lavishly adorned with beaded necklaces and jeweled pendants.
Provenance: Arthur Huc (1854-1932). Marcel Huc, inherited from the above. Thence by descent within the same family. Arthur Huc was the chief editor of La Dépêche du Midi, at the time the leading newspaper in Toulouse, France. He was also an accomplished art critic and early patron of several artists, including Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. At the same time, Arthur Huc was a keen collector of Asian art, a passion that he inherited from his legendary ancestor Évariste Régis Huc, also known as the Abbé Huc (1813–1860), a French Catholic priest and traveler who became famous for his accounts of Qing-era China, Mongolia and especially the then-almost-unknown Tibet in his book “Remembrances of a Journey in Tartary, Tibet, and China”.
Condition: Extensive weathering, wear, breaks, losses and erosions as visible on the images at www.zacke.at. Remnants of an old varnish coating. Two structural cracks, one at the neck and one just above the feet, both with old fillings. Considering the age of this statue, the condition must still be regarded as highly satisfying.
French Export License: Certificat d’exportation pour un bien culturel Nr. 185432 dated 3.07.2017 has been granted and is accompanying this lot.
Scientific Report: A detailed microanalysis report, issued by Laboratoire M.S.M.A.P. SARL, Sciences des Matériaux Anciens et du Patrimoine - Etude des objets d’art, Nr. 20-050 OA (dated 02/24/20) is accompanying this object. The report states that the characteristics of the present lot are “in accordance with the assumed origin and age of the object.” (please see scans of the report online at www.zacke.at)
Weight: 98 kg (including the base)
Dimensions: 100 cm (without the base)
This figure of a bodhisattva is remarkable for its graceful pose, naturalistic, yet genderless physique, elegant flowing skirt and scarves, and voluminous flower-decorated hair style. It is a classic example of China’s Buddhist stone carving from the period that saw perhaps the greatest flowering of China’s plastic arts, the High Tang period under Emperor Xuanzong (r. 713-755). An elaborate multi-strand necklace is hanging down from the shoulders along either side of the sensual, rounded belly and stops just above the ankles, centered by a lotus pendant. The dhoti is ribbon-tied above the waist and cascades in folds along the contours of the legs. The head bears a five-pointed diadem just below a minuscule statue of Amithaba. The figure stands on a single lotus base, raised from a square plinth flanked by two guardian lions.
In the early Tang period we begin to see a more naturalistic approach to the depiction of Buddhist deities, for example in late 7th century caves at Longmen, constructed under Empress Wu (624-705), where bodhisattvas are already rendered as more human figures, standing with a slight swerve to the body and performing naturalistic gestures (Zhongguo meishu quanji: Diaosu bian [Complete series on Chinese art: Sculpture section], vol. 11, Shanghai, 1988, pl. 183 and Ryumon Sekkutsu / Longmen Caves, exhibition catalogue, The Miho Museum, n. p., 2001, p. 62). The full transformation towards a ravishingly beautiful, sensuous naturalism in Buddhist imagery, where the religious message is delivered through a very accessible form of human beauty did, however, only materialized in the High Tang period. This era marks the fully matured style of Buddhist stone sculpture, a style similarly manifested also in gilt bronze, clay and wood, and it unquestionably marks one of the finest periods of China’s sculptural tradition, which brought forth some of the country’s most impressive figurative masterpieces.
The Tang dynasty saw an unequalled flowering of the Buddhist doctrine and imagery, which exerted a major influence on all strata of Chinese society right up to the court. The present figure with its deliberate indication of a well-formed, youthful, swaying body, the weight slightly shifted to one leg, the fleshy yet compact torso exposed and the legs clearly visible under a thin, clinging garment, is a prime example of such High Tang Buddhist imagery in stone. While the figure is depicted as genderless and not specifically identified as the bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara, the opulent coiffure suggests a female deity and the benevolent face clearly evokes the ‘Bodhisattva of Compassion’, better known as the Goddess of Mercy, Guanyin.
Associated modern metal base. (2)
Literature comparison: Although this sculpture stands firmly in the stylistic context of its period, only few closely related works appear to have survived. Even if similarities with contemporary cave sculptures found in situ are obvious, since their style dominated the arts and crafts of the period, variations of facial expression, jewelry and dress are to be expected on freestanding sculptures produced by locally working craftsmen. Bodhisattva figures depicted in a comparable manner can be seen, for example, at the Tianlongshan Caves near Taiyuan in Shanxi, one of the smaller ensembles of rock carvings in north China, with only twenty-one caves. Carving here continued from the end of the Northern Wei right through to the Tang. The faces carved in the somewhat coarse stone are characterized by particularly soft features, and some caves are renowned for their flamboyant Tang carvings in the fully matured Chinese carving style of the High Tang period. Compare three bodhisattva figures from Tianlongshan, one in situ, illustrated in Tianlongshan shiku [Tianlongshan rock caves], Beijing, 2003, pl. 124, and another in the Boston Museum of Fine Arts (37.329) (fig. 1), and the third, lacking its head, in the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco (René-Yvon Lefebvre d’Argencé, ed., Chinese, Korean and Japanese Sculpture in the Avery Brundage Collection, San Francisco, 1974, pl. 108). The Tianlongshan bodhisattvas are, however, characterized by a more voluptuous roundness of the faces as well as the bodies.
In its general pose and physique, the present sculpture can also be compared to two bodhisattva figures of similar date attributed to the Longmen Caves, both formerly in the Junkunc Collection, sold at Christie’s New York, 21st September 1995, lots 301 and 302, the former illustrated in Osvald Sirén, Chinese Sculpture from the Fifth to the Fourteenth Century, London, 1925, pl. 464. These Longmen figures, however, display a much more solid physique. The prevalent carving style of the period reflected by this bodhisattva figure can equally be seen on steles, where two such figures are flanking a central Buddha; see, for example, Matsubara Saburo, Chugoku Bukkyo chokoku shiron [Historical survey of Chinese Buddhist sculpture], Tokyo, 1995, vol. 3, particularly 656b, 658b, 660b, 663a and 670 for examples from the High Tang and slightly earlier.
Auction result comparison: Compare with a closely related white marble statue at Sotheby’s New York in Junkunc: Arts of Ancient China, 19 March 2019, lot 120, sold for USD $740,000.
大型石灰石雕菩薩立像，唐代
中國，618-907。菩薩雕刻精美，立在蓮花座上，左手握住花瓶，身體上裝飾有瓔珞首飾。
來源：此像源自法國阿瑟∙胡克（1854-1932）收藏。馬爾塞∙胡克繼承，家族保存。阿瑟∙胡克先生曾是圖盧斯市《快訊》極受歡迎的時政記者，直至193
Full description on lot-tissimo.com
China, 618-907. Beautifully carved in the round, standing in a nuanced contrapposto with a vase held in the proper left hand, the body lavishly adorned with beaded necklaces and jeweled pendants.
Provenance: Arthur Huc (1854-1932). Marcel Huc, inherited from the above. Thence by descent within the same family. Arthur Huc was the chief editor of La Dépêche du Midi, at the time the leading newspaper in Toulouse, France. He was also an accomplished art critic and early patron of several artists, including Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. At the same time, Arthur Huc was a keen collector of Asian art, a passion that he inherited from his legendary ancestor Évariste Régis Huc, also known as the Abbé Huc (1813–1860), a French Catholic priest and traveler who became famous for his accounts of Qing-era China, Mongolia and especially the then-almost-unknown Tibet in his book “Remembrances of a Journey in Tartary, Tibet, and China”.
Condition: Extensive weathering, wear, breaks, losses and erosions as visible on the images at www.zacke.at. Remnants of an old varnish coating. Two structural cracks, one at the neck and one just above the feet, both with old fillings. Considering the age of this statue, the condition must still be regarded as highly satisfying.
French Export License: Certificat d’exportation pour un bien culturel Nr. 185432 dated 3.07.2017 has been granted and is accompanying this lot.
Scientific Report: A detailed microanalysis report, issued by Laboratoire M.S.M.A.P. SARL, Sciences des Matériaux Anciens et du Patrimoine - Etude des objets d’art, Nr. 20-050 OA (dated 02/24/20) is accompanying this object. The report states that the characteristics of the present lot are “in accordance with the assumed origin and age of the object.” (please see scans of the report online at www.zacke.at)
Weight: 98 kg (including the base)
Dimensions: 100 cm (without the base)
This figure of a bodhisattva is remarkable for its graceful pose, naturalistic, yet genderless physique, elegant flowing skirt and scarves, and voluminous flower-decorated hair style. It is a classic example of China’s Buddhist stone carving from the period that saw perhaps the greatest flowering of China’s plastic arts, the High Tang period under Emperor Xuanzong (r. 713-755). An elaborate multi-strand necklace is hanging down from the shoulders along either side of the sensual, rounded belly and stops just above the ankles, centered by a lotus pendant. The dhoti is ribbon-tied above the waist and cascades in folds along the contours of the legs. The head bears a five-pointed diadem just below a minuscule statue of Amithaba. The figure stands on a single lotus base, raised from a square plinth flanked by two guardian lions.
In the early Tang period we begin to see a more naturalistic approach to the depiction of Buddhist deities, for example in late 7th century caves at Longmen, constructed under Empress Wu (624-705), where bodhisattvas are already rendered as more human figures, standing with a slight swerve to the body and performing naturalistic gestures (Zhongguo meishu quanji: Diaosu bian [Complete series on Chinese art: Sculpture section], vol. 11, Shanghai, 1988, pl. 183 and Ryumon Sekkutsu / Longmen Caves, exhibition catalogue, The Miho Museum, n. p., 2001, p. 62). The full transformation towards a ravishingly beautiful, sensuous naturalism in Buddhist imagery, where the religious message is delivered through a very accessible form of human beauty did, however, only materialized in the High Tang period. This era marks the fully matured style of Buddhist stone sculpture, a style similarly manifested also in gilt bronze, clay and wood, and it unquestionably marks one of the finest periods of China’s sculptural tradition, which brought forth some of the country’s most impressive figurative masterpieces.
The Tang dynasty saw an unequalled flowering of the Buddhist doctrine and imagery, which exerted a major influence on all strata of Chinese society right up to the court. The present figure with its deliberate indication of a well-formed, youthful, swaying body, the weight slightly shifted to one leg, the fleshy yet compact torso exposed and the legs clearly visible under a thin, clinging garment, is a prime example of such High Tang Buddhist imagery in stone. While the figure is depicted as genderless and not specifically identified as the bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara, the opulent coiffure suggests a female deity and the benevolent face clearly evokes the ‘Bodhisattva of Compassion’, better known as the Goddess of Mercy, Guanyin.
Associated modern metal base. (2)
Literature comparison: Although this sculpture stands firmly in the stylistic context of its period, only few closely related works appear to have survived. Even if similarities with contemporary cave sculptures found in situ are obvious, since their style dominated the arts and crafts of the period, variations of facial expression, jewelry and dress are to be expected on freestanding sculptures produced by locally working craftsmen. Bodhisattva figures depicted in a comparable manner can be seen, for example, at the Tianlongshan Caves near Taiyuan in Shanxi, one of the smaller ensembles of rock carvings in north China, with only twenty-one caves. Carving here continued from the end of the Northern Wei right through to the Tang. The faces carved in the somewhat coarse stone are characterized by particularly soft features, and some caves are renowned for their flamboyant Tang carvings in the fully matured Chinese carving style of the High Tang period. Compare three bodhisattva figures from Tianlongshan, one in situ, illustrated in Tianlongshan shiku [Tianlongshan rock caves], Beijing, 2003, pl. 124, and another in the Boston Museum of Fine Arts (37.329) (fig. 1), and the third, lacking its head, in the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco (René-Yvon Lefebvre d’Argencé, ed., Chinese, Korean and Japanese Sculpture in the Avery Brundage Collection, San Francisco, 1974, pl. 108). The Tianlongshan bodhisattvas are, however, characterized by a more voluptuous roundness of the faces as well as the bodies.
In its general pose and physique, the present sculpture can also be compared to two bodhisattva figures of similar date attributed to the Longmen Caves, both formerly in the Junkunc Collection, sold at Christie’s New York, 21st September 1995, lots 301 and 302, the former illustrated in Osvald Sirén, Chinese Sculpture from the Fifth to the Fourteenth Century, London, 1925, pl. 464. These Longmen figures, however, display a much more solid physique. The prevalent carving style of the period reflected by this bodhisattva figure can equally be seen on steles, where two such figures are flanking a central Buddha; see, for example, Matsubara Saburo, Chugoku Bukkyo chokoku shiron [Historical survey of Chinese Buddhist sculpture], Tokyo, 1995, vol. 3, particularly 656b, 658b, 660b, 663a and 670 for examples from the High Tang and slightly earlier.
Auction result comparison: Compare with a closely related white marble statue at Sotheby’s New York in Junkunc: Arts of Ancient China, 19 March 2019, lot 120, sold for USD $740,000.
大型石灰石雕菩薩立像，唐代
中國，618-907。菩薩雕刻精美，立在蓮花座上，左手握住花瓶，身體上裝飾有瓔珞首飾。
來源：此像源自法國阿瑟∙胡克（1854-1932）收藏。馬爾塞∙胡克繼承，家族保存。阿瑟∙胡克先生曾是圖盧斯市《快訊》極受歡迎的時政記者，直至193
Full description on lot-tissimo.com
Fine Chinese Art, Buddhism und Hinduism
Auktionsdatum
Ort der Versteigerung
Mariahilferstraße 112/1/10
Wien
A-1070
Austria
Für Galerie Zacke Versandinformtation bitte wählen Sie +43 1 5320452.
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NE1119 | Fine Netsuke, Sagemono & Okimono
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Buyer’s Premium 26.4% including VAT
Further information please read § 3
§ 1) The auction shall be carried out in accordance with the provisions of the rules of procedure of GALERIE ZACKE ©, SZA VERSTEIGERUNGS UND VERTRIEBS GMBH, MARIAHILFERSTRASSE 112, 1070 WIEN (hereinafter referred to as the company) as well as in accordance with sections 244-246 of the GEWERBEORDNUNG [Industrial Code] of 1994. The auction shall be carried out on commission. The auctioneer shall be entitled to withdraw lots exceptionally, to conduct the auction deviating from the order of the catalogue numbers and to offer lots jointly. In the event of any dispute concerning a double bid or if the auctioneer has missed a bid, the auctioneer shall be entitled to revoke acceptance of a bid and to continue auctioning the item. The figures stated in the catalogue shall be the highest bid in Euro expected by the respective expert. As a rule, the bid shall be increased by 10% of the last bid. (See table of the bidding increments).
§ 2) The acceptance of a bid shall be granted to the highest bidder unless a hidden reserve has been agreed upon with the consignor of the item in question. Such a hidden reserve (also called limit or just reserve) shall be the minimum price under which the item will not be sold during the auction. This reserve will be disclosed upon request only and may exceed the estimate. The auctioneer will in this case bid on behalf of the seller against all other bidders until the reserve has been reached. If a reserve is not reached during the auction, the auctioneer will knock down the item to the highest bidder at the final bid, but the sale will be conditional of the acceptance of this final bid by the seller. In this case the highest bidder shall be bound to his/her last bid for a term of 8 days starting with the day of the knockdown. If the winning bidder does not receive a written cancellation notice within this term of 8 days, the knockdown becomes unconditional and the sale is final. Typically, only a minority of all items in an auction have a hidden reserve.
§ 3) All items shall be subject to differential taxation. A uniform surcharge of 26.4% inclusive the value added tax shall be added to the achieved highest bid (final and highest bid). For online bids an additional 5 % will be charged.
§ 4) In the event of sales abroad, the value added tax will be repaid if the item is sold to a country which is not a member country of the European Union (third country), the legal requirements are met, and the proof of exportation is provided. The value added tax shall not be shown separately on the invoice.
§ 5) The auction buyer must pay the purchase price immediately upon acceptance of the bid (final and highest bid plus 22% surcharge, plus the value added tax applicable to the surcharge to the amount of 20% plus applicable fees – online bidding and payment fees). However, the company may grant the auction buyer a respite for the payment of the purchase price in whole or in part in individual cases. If a respite is refused, the acceptance of the bid may be revoked, and the item may be reoffered. In the event of revocation of the acceptance of the bid, the company shall be entitled to accept the last bid from the underbidder.
§ 6) In the event of respite in whole or in part, the company shall be entitled to charge default interest (12% p.a.) as well as storage charges (2.4% pf the final and highest bid per month commenced) after 14 days upon acceptance of the bid. The item purchased at auction shall be handed over exclusively upon full payment of the purchase price including all costs and charges accrued since the acceptance of the bid.
§ 7) The buyer can take acquired items in possession, as far as possible, immediately or after the end of the auction. Items which have been fully paid for shall be handed over in our show rooms in GALERIE ZACKE, MAIAHILFERSTRASSE 112, 1070 VIENNA. If a deferred purchase price is not paid within the set period, the company shall be entitled to auction the item again in order to recoup its claim from the defaulting auction buyer. In this case, the defaulting auction buyer shall be liable to the company for the total loss of commission incurred by the company due to the re-auctioning as well as for any default interest and storage charges.
§ 8) The company shall be entitled to a lien on all items of the buyer irrespective of whether the buyer bought them within the scope of an auction or in free sale or the company secured ownership of these items otherwise. This lien shall serve to secure all current and future, qualified, limited and unmatured claims to which the company is entitled, and which result from all legal transactions concluded with the buyer.
§ 9) The items received for auction will be exhibited and may be viewed prior to the auction. In doing so, the company shall give everyone the opportunity to check the nature and the condition of the exhibited items to the extent deemed possible within the scope of the exhibition. Every bidder shall be deemed to act on its own behalf uncles it provides a written confirmation saying that it acts as a representative of a well-known principal. The company may refuse bids; this shall particularly apply if a bidder who is unknown to the company or with whom the company has no business connections yet does not provide security by the beginning of the auction at the latest. However, in principle there shall be no claim to accept a bid. If a bid has been refused, the previous bid shall remain effective.
§ 10) The company’s experts evaluate and describe the items received for auction and determine the starting prices uncles otherwise stated in the catalogue or expert opinion. The information concerning production technique or material, state of preservation, origin, design and age of an item is based on published or otherwise generally accessible (scientific) findings concluded by the company’s expert with the necessary care and accuracy. The company shall warrant to the buyer according to §22 of the AGB (General Terms and Conditions) that properties are correct provided that any possible complaints referring to this are made within four weeks upon their taking into possession. Subsequent complaints shall be excluded in principle. The company shall not be liable for any further information in the catalogue and expert opinion as well. This shall also apply to illustrations in the catalogue. The purpose of these illustrations is to guide the potential buyer during the preview. They shall not be authoritative for the condition or the characteristics of the pictured item. The catalogue and the expert opinions shall only mention defects and damage affecting the artistic or commercial value significantly. Complaints concerning the price shall be excluded upon acceptance of the bid. The company reserves the right to amend catalogue information prior to the auction. These amendments shall be made either by a written notice at the place of auction or orally by the auctioneer immediately prior to offering of the respective item. In this case, the company shall be liable for the amendment only. All items offered may be checked prior to the auction. These items are used. Any claims for damages exceeding the liability named above and resulting from other material defects or other defects of the item shall be excluded. When making the bid, the bidder confirms that it has seen the item prior to the auction and has made sure that the item corresponds to the description.
§ 11) If a customer is not able to participate in an auction personally, the company shall accept purchase orders. These orders may be placed in writing, via email or fax. In the case of a purchase order placed by phone or orally, the company shall reserve the right to make the performance dependent on a confirmation from the principal communicated in writing, via email or fax. Furthermore, the company shall not be liable for the performance of purchase orders. Purchase orders with equal top bid limits will be considered in the order of their receipt. Bids which are only one increment above the starting price shall be exhausted totally. Bids which do not correspond to the increments determined by the company (see bidding increment) in tabular form will be rounded up to the next higher increment. The table of these increments can be sent upon request. In the case of lots auctioned without any limits, bids below the estimated price shall be exhausted totally. The written bid (purchase order) must include the item stating the catalogue number and the offered top bid limit which is quoted as the amount of the acceptance of the bid without buyer´s commission and without value added tax.
Ambiguities shall be carried by the bidder. A purchase order which has already been placed may only be cancelled if the written withdrawal is received by the company at least 72 hours prior to the beginning of the auction.
§ 12) The company may refuse to process a purchase order without explanation until offering or make this dependent on payment of a deposit. In the event of an unsuccessful order, such a deposit will be reimbursed by the company within 5 working days. Processing of purchase orders is free of charge.
§ 13) Every contributor shall in principle be entitled to withdraw the items offered for auction until the start of the auction. Therefore, it is impossible to assume liability or to give warranty for the actual offering.
§ 14) Items paid must be collected within 30 days of payment. Items which have not been collected may be delivered without further communication at a starting price from the recent auction reduced by 50% after 30 days from the respective auction date. Items which have not been collected within 3 (three) working days after the auction or for which the company does not receive any proper shipping instructions stating the type of shipping and the address of dispatch (independent of a possibly placed purchase order) within 3 (three) working days after the auction shall be stored at the owner´s risk.
Furthermore, the company shell be entitled to store item which have been purchased at auction and paid but not collected at the buyer´s risk and expense, including the costs for an insurance, with a forwarding agency. It shall be understood that the provision concerning the re-auctioning of unpaid and paid but not collected items must also apply to items not exhibited or stored on the premises of the company. The ownership shall be transferred the buyer at the time of handing over the delivery note.
§ 15) In the case of mixed lots with a starting price of less than EUR 350.00, the company shall not warrant for the completeness or correctness of the individual items within a mixed lot.
§ 16) A registration for a bid by telephone for one or several items shall automatically represent a bid at the starting prices for these items. If the company cannot reach the bidder by telephone, it will bid on behalf of the bidder by phone up to the starting price when the respective auction lot is called.
§ 17) Payments made to the company by mistake (through the payer´s fault) (e.g. due to miscalculation of the exchange rate by the payer) or payments made to the company for the same invoice several times shall be compensated in form of a credit note for goods for an indefinite period of time. The repayment of such payments in cash shall be excluded.
§ 18) In the case of individual auction lots, it may happen that they are delivered several times. In such a case, the auctioneer may accept a second or third etc. bid from the underbidder(s) In this case, the text om the catalogue and not the illustration in the catalogue shall also be exclusively binding with regard to the warranty (relating to these auction lots).
§ 19) When making a bid, whether personally, in writing or by telephone, the bidder shall acknowledge these terms of auction, the AGB (General Terms and Conditions) as well as the rules of procedure and the schedule of fees (as amended) of the company.
§ 20) The place of performance of the contract brought about between the company on the one hand and the seller as well as the buyer on the other hand shall be the place of business of the company. The legal relationships and contracts existing between the company, the sellers and the buyers shall be subject to the Austrian substantive law. The company, the sellers and the buyers shall agree to settle all disputes resulting from, concerning and in connection with this contract before the territorially competent court of Vienna.
§ 21) The export of art objects from Austria, when indicated, shall require a permit from the Bundesdenkmalamt [Federal Monuments Office]. In any event, the company shall orally provide information about art objects for which an export permit will probably not be granted at the beginning of the auction.
§ 22) The company reserves the right to assign to the customer all rights and obligations resulting from the contractual relationship between the company and the contributor by a way of a respective declaration, as well to assign to the contributor all rights and obligations resulting from the contractual relationship between the company and the customer by way of a respective declaration, in each case in terms of a complete assignment of contract with the result that the contractual relationship-following the submission of the aforementioned declarations by the company shall exclusively be between the contributor and the customer, which is in accordance with the basic model of the commission agreement. Customers and contributors shall already now give their explicit consent to this contract assignment.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION:
Absentee Bidding
Absentee bids are carried out under the regulations of the terms of business of Galerie Zacke, SZA Versteigerungs & Vertriebs GmbH, which requires written submission of your purchase limit.
Orders without purchase limits cannot be processed.
Only the submitted lot number of the purchase object is binding for the processing of the absentee bid. The place of jurisdiction is Vienna, Austrian Law and Austrian jurisdiction are exclusively applicable for all legal questions arising from the business relationship.
Absentee bids for this auction will be accepted until the day of auction by 8:00 a.m. We regret that absentee bids received after the time stated above will not be processed until after the auction.
We accept the following methods of payments:
°Cash
°Bank transfer (please inquire to receive our bank account information)
°Credit card (Visa, MasterCard, Amex, Diners Club) – service charge of 3% will be added (for debit and credit cards)
Estimates and Starting Prices
The auction will begin with the starting price and written bids will be accepted only with a minimum amount equivalent to the starting price.
Shipping and Transport Insurance
For domestic shipping Galerie Zacke (hereinafter called the company) charges in average EUR 15,- to EUR 50,- per item, depending on size and weight. These fees cover the costs of packing and shipping. Fees for bulky or fragile items, or international shipping will be quoted upon request.
The purchased goods are transported at the risk of the customer following handover of the packaged item to the post office or another carrier which the customer agrees to through his/her submission of the purchase order. According to the specific wish of the customer, the auctioned goods may be insured for the value of the purchase price (highest bid and all surcharges). This insurance fee is 3% of the purchase price. For any lots with purchase prices exceeding EUR 350,- the transport insurance will be automatically arranged by the company if it does not expressively receive the purchaser´s written denial of this service. Payments due to the company under the insurance contract will be charged to the customer. The company is also entitled to assign claims under the insurance contract to the customer providing the terms of the insurance contract do not prevent this.
In any case, the company is only required to make payment to the customer specifically if payment has effectively been received from the insurance company.
Color and Condition
Auction lots will be exhibited for viewing prior to the auction, thus offering all interested customers the opportunity to examine the quality and condition of the works exhibited. The catalogue illustrations are intended to assist customers during such preview. In illustrations, printed colors do not correspond exactly to the originals. The printed catalogue images are not representative for the condition of the illustrated pieces. Flaws and damages are therefore always indicated in the catalogue. The illustrations in the online catalogue can be strongly magnified, so that damages and restorations are usually well recognizable.
Endangered Species / CITES Information
Many items in this catalogue may consist of material such as for example ivory, rhinoceros-horn, tortoise shell, coral or any rare types of tropical wood, and are therefore subject to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora [CITES]. Such items may only be exported outside the European Union after an export permit in accordance with CITES has been granted by the Austrian authorities. We would like to inform you that such licenses are typically not granted.
For Objects which have a low ivory content or have been proven beyond doubt to be in the EU before 1982 (lots 44, 131, 144, 147, 169, 229, 254 and 267) please contact our office for more information on how to obtain a CITES license.
Complaints
At its auctions, Galerie Zacke sells consigned lots on behalf of third-party consignors. For this reason, any complaints related to purchased lots must be reported to Galerie Zacke within 6 weeks after the receipt of such lot. Our complete general terms and conditions of business can be found on our website www.zacke.at.
THE ART LOSS REGISTER
All items starting above 2.000,- EUR have been checked by the Art Loss Register.
Further Images
More images of all lots can be found at: www.zacke.at
