CHINE DYNASTIE SUI (581 - 618)

Lot 107
Go to lot
Estimation :
500000 - 700000 EUR
CHINE DYNASTIE SUI (581 - 618)
Exceptional sculpture in white marble with a beige patina shaded with brown, representing Guanshiyin, goddess of compassion whose name means "who perceives the sounds of the world", often abbreviated to Guanyin, the Chinese female form of the god Avalokiteshvara. The smiling deity, with half-closed eyes, stands on a blooming lotus flower on a base formed by an inverted lotus, her body in a slight tribhanga, a triple wiggle, holding the vase of lustral water, one of the treasures of Buddhism, in her left hand along her body, while her right hand, raised against her, holds the willow branch, another of her attributes. She is adorned with numerous jewels, earrings, pectoral, long necklaces crisscrossing at the waist and falling on her dress, and gold-plated belts. Her hair, raised in a high bun, is encircled by a diadem that holds the veil falling on her shoulders and presents three lotiform medallions, the central one bearing the character Fo, Buddha. On his neck, the three wisdom folds are clearly visible, one of the marks of Buddhahood. Carved all around, it is of a slightly different style, though of the same material and similar patina. H. 128,5 cm - W. 45 cm - D. 20 cmH. with base : 146 cm(On its base) PROVENANCE Private Parisian collection of Mr. L. constituted over three generations since the end of the 19th century. Condition report and photo on request only Discovery of a historical sculpture from the Sui dynasty Buddhism in China This important sculpture in white marble with a patina is a beautiful example of Buddhist sculpture at the time of the apogee of this religion in China, where it entered after a long journey through Asia. Originating in northern India, Buddhism was founded in the 6th or 5th century B.C. by Siddhartha Gautama, a prince of Kapilavastu, in what is now southern Nepal or northern India, who renounced his life of luxury in order to seek enlightenment and teach a community of itinerant monks who would gradually spread what would become the Buddhist religion. This religion will first spread in Northern India, then in the South, and then towards the Far East, along two major axes, each carrying a current with a very different expression. Along the southern trajectory, Theravada Buddhism (of the elders), the school of the Small Vehicle, Hinayana, where only the Buddha is revered and represented, spreads to Southeast Asia. The northern trajectory sees the spread of the Mahayana (Great Vehicle) and Vajrayana (Diamond Vehicle, in Tibet) traditions. These schools give birth to a whole pantheon where Buddha of the past, present and future rub shoulders with innumerable bodhisattvas and other protective deities. Mahayana Buddhism is attested in China as early as the 2nd century AD. But it is with the Northern Wei dynasty (386 - 534), a Tabghach people of Turkish origin who invaded and unified northern China for a time, that Buddhism experienced a considerable expansion. At the same time, the Wei sovereigns, eager to become Sinicized by adopting Chinese institutions and traditions, including Taoism, saw in Buddhism, from the middle of the 5th century, an instrument of legitimization and affirmation of their power, and adopted it as the state religion. Buddhist monasteries and caves then multiplied, where paintings and sculptures abounded, the latter in the rock or in the round, in stucco, stone or wood, most often covered in polychrome, and representing Buddha, Bodhisattva, disciples and assistants. At the very beginning, these representations revealed a certain influence of Indian styles, but they quickly became more sinister during the 4th-6th century and continued to develop, notably with Empress Wu Zetian (690-705) of the Tang dynasty (618-905), the only female emperor in the history of China, who even went so far as to identify herself with Maitreya, the Buddha of the future, for political purposes. His reign saw a proliferation of Buddhist sculptures, which were said to be in his image. The Buddhist religious community thus gradually became very powerful, despite some periods of violent rejection over the centuries. The period from the beginning of the 7th century to the middle of the 9th century is considered the golden age of Buddhism in China. But this power gradually signaled its decline. On the one hand, this religion presented characteristics that were at odds with the moral and social ideal shaped by Confucianism; on the other hand, the financial and social cost of the monasteries was considered prohibitive by many. This decline began in the middle of the 9th century. Buddhism did not disappear for all that, but it moved away from the high spheres of power.
My orders
Sale information
Sales conditions
Return to catalogue