MING DYNASTY, XUANDE PERIOD (1425-35) Himalayan Art Resources item no.64935 55.9 cm (22 in.) highFootnotes明 宣德時期（1425-35年）木雕漆金彩繪大悲勝海紅觀音像 Exhibited: Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas, TX, 2006-2008 (no. 17.2006.A-B) Provenance: Stuart Perrin, New York Arnold Lieberman, New York, until 1981 Collection of Jeffrey Novick, Sausalito, California, 1981-1983 Collection of Douglas Rosestone, Santa Rosa, California, 1983-1996 Collection of Dr. Bruce Gordon, Mill Valley, California, 1996-2004 Private American Collection Sotheby's, New York, 16 September 2008, lot 173 The early decades of the 15th century are a high point of Chinese Buddhist sculpture, with splendid gilt bronze images from the Yongle (1403-24) and Xuande (1425-35) periods among the finest sculptures ever made in China. Of the same caliber as its metal counterparts, this large wooden figure is a much rarer and significant example from the period. Tibetan Buddhism became more widespread in China under the patronage of the Mongol-ruled Yuan dynasty. This special status extended into the early Ming dynasty and reached its zenith during the reign of the Yongle emperor, who was a devout follower of Tibetan Buddhism. Numerous Buddhist sculptures were produced following a distinctive and highly refined imperial style, the majority of which were small and easily transportable bronzes either gifted to visiting Tibetan dignitaries or sent to monasteries in Tibet. The subsequent Xuande emperor curtailed patronage of Tibetan monasteries, and as a result, much fewer Tibeto-Chinese Buddhist sculptures were produced during his reign—and these were generally intended for worship in Han China. This Jinasagara belongs to this small corpus of Xuande Vajrayana sculptures and is one of just two known made of wood. An Amitayus preserved at the Pacific Asia Museum, Pasadena (Fig.1, 2001.1.47) is the only other Ming Vajrayana Buddhist wooden sculpture known to survive. It depicts an esoteric form of the long-life deity in passionate embrace with his consort. Most likely belonging to the same set as the current lot, the Pacific Asia Museum sculpture is of identical size and medium, and exhibits similar stylistic details – from the sophisticated jewelry and patterned robes, to the distinctive lotus base. The two would have been placed together in a chapel or similar setting, and, according to Weldon, "most likely in close proximity to the heart of Tibetan Buddhist activity in China, the imperial court at Beijing" (see Sotheby's, New York, 16 September 2008, lot 173). The rarity of the present sculpture extends to its subject matter. The male figure represents Jinasagara ('Ocean of Conquerors'), an esoteric form of Avalokiteshvara, the Lord of Compassion. He is shown in union with his consort Guhyajnana Dakini, who wraps her arms around the bodhisattva, wielding a kartrika knife in her right hand. A rare meditational deity, Jinasagara Avalokiteshvara originated from the 'Revealed Treasure' tradition of the Nyingma School, and was predominantly worshipped in the Karma Kagyu tradition. Here he holds his primary hands in anjali mudra around his consort, with his two secondary hands raised on either side, framing his imposing silhouette. His upper hands would have held a mala and a lotus flower. From the 15th century onward, this special iconographic form of Avalokiteshvara was depicted in Tibetan thangkas and woodblock prints, but almost never appeared in three-dimensional images. The only other known sculptural representation of the deity is a Yongle-marked gilt bronze figure held at the Royal Tropical Institute Museum, Amsterdam (see Van Alphen, Cast for Eternity, 2004, p.218, no.76). The present work is therefore among the earliest visual representations of Jinasagara as well as one of the only two recorded sculptures of the deity from any period. An important point of comparison that confirms the dating of this wooden sculpture is a large Xuande mark-and-period gilt bronze Amitayus from an Irish estate (Sotheby's, New York, 25 March 1999, lot 121). The two figures are closely comparable in size, physiognomy, and decorative details. Specifically, both male deities wear the same type of bracelets and armbands, consisting of five alternating beaded bands supporting multiple leaf-shaped elements. Amitayus and Guhyajnana Dakini also share almost identical earrings, and the short, curly fringe tucked under the crowns of the male deities are neatly arranged in spaced sections. The similarities between the two lotus pedestals are particularly notable – each features broad lotus petals of rather baroque design between two recessed rings of beading, and is supported by a plain foot. Although the tendrils appearing on the inner petals are absent from the two main petal types that dominate Yongle and Xuande sculptures, the same elaborate design is shared by a monumental gilt bronze Vajrabhairava preserved at the imperial Buddhist temple, Yonghegong ('Palace of Peace and Harmony'), widely accepted as dating to the Yongle or Xuande reigns (see Weldon, "A Vajrabhairava Statue in the Yonghe Gong, Beijing", Orientations, Vol.50, no.1, Jan/Feb 2019, pp.132-7). Moreover, similar lotus petals also appear on a Xuande mark-and-period blue and white 'dragon' bowl formerly in the collection of David and Peggy Rockefeller (Christie's, New York, 10 May 2018, lot 972). The elaborate textile patterns seen on the dhoti of Jinasagara Avalokiteshvara and the Pacific Asia Museum Amitayus are rather unique, as most Yongle and Xuande sculptures depict deities wearing plain cloth devoid of any decorative patterns. However, it is evident that similar treatment was sporadically adopted in other early 15th-century works. A Yongle-period gilt bronze figure of Virupa, for example, shows closely related patterns with alternating bands of floral motifs on his lower garment (von Schroeder, Buddhist Sculptures in Tibet, 2001, pp.1290-1, nos.363B-C). Also see a Yongle marked Syamatara at the Museum Rietberg (Uhlig, On the Path to Enlightenment, 1995, p.146, no.92).