Large Chinese Ming Polychrome Wood Seated Buddha

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Fine Antiquities, Asian, Ethno, Fine Art

By Artemis Fine Arts

May 1, 2025

Set Reminder 2025-05-01 10:00:00 2025-05-01 10:00:00 America/New_York Bidsquare Bidsquare : Fine Antiquities, Asian, Ethno, Fine Art https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/artemis-gallery/fine-antiquities-asian-ethno-fine-art-19334
Showcasing an extraordinary array of artifacts and art, including Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Etruscan, Near Eastern, Asian, Pre-Columbian, Native American, Tribal, Oceanic, Spanish Colonial treasures, fossils, fine and visual arts, and more! All ancient items are ethically sourced and legally available for sale. Enjoy the ease of in-house shipping for a seamless experience! Artemis Fine Arts info@artemisfinearts.com

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• Lot Description

  East Asia, China, Ming Dynasty, ca. 1368 to 1644 CE. Carved from substantial wood and layered with plaster or stucco, this large Buddha statue features a head adorned with tightly coiled blue curls – each spiral, shaped like a snail shell and pigmented with ground lapis, crowned by a red ushnisha. Seated in the dhyanasana posture on a lotus pedestal, his hands form the dhyana mudra of meditation, a gesture of profound stillness. These distinctive curls allude to the legend of snails shielding the meditating Buddha from the sun. The statue's verso reveals a square-cut cavity, evidence of a consecration ritual, likely an "eye-opening ceremony" performed by a Buddhist monk. This niche once held sacred documents, a dated inscription honoring donors, prayers, and symbolic representations of inner organs before being sealed, a process believed to imbue the carving with life force (chi or qi) and invite the deity's spirit to reside within. Size: 14" L x 17" W x 43" H (35.6 cm x 43.2 cm x 109.2 cm)
  
  Historically, carved figural statues held profound cultural and religious significance in China, serving not merely as decoration but as vital conduits for spiritual inspiration, solace, and ancestral veneration. These sacred objects populated homes, clan halls, temples, and public spaces, where altars and shrines honored familial ancestors and a pantheon of deities. The size and opulence of these dedicated spaces reflected a family's standing, with even modest homes featuring altars for expressing Confucian piety through ancestor worship. Wealthier families often dedicated entire rooms to elaborate shrines, housing images and ancestor tablets – inscribed placards acting as spiritual seats for the deceased, sometimes even found in temple halls where monks offered prayers for their well-being in the afterlife. <br><br>Central to imbuing these carvings with spiritual potency was the "eye opening ceremony," a consecration ritual performed by a senior priest or monk. This process, involving practices like dotting the eyes with cinnabar, pricking them, or anointing them with liquids, was believed to awaken the statue's senses, enabling it to perceive and respond to devotees' prayers. Before this ritual, a cavity carved into the statue's back was filled with sacred documents, a dated paper script honoring the donors and commemorating the event, prayers, and symbolic items representing inner organs, then sealed. The completed, veiled statue was then solemnly carried to the temple for the complex consecration, a communal event believed to imbue the inert carving with life force (chi or qi) and invite the deity's spirit to reside within. This animated state was believed to persist as long as the cavity remained sealed, making intact statues with their original contents exceptionally rare and deserving of continued reverence.
  
  Provenance: private Los Angeles, California, USA collection
  
  All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.
  
  A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.
  
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  #192448

  Condition

  Professionally repaired and repainted. Missing back cavity. Pressure fissures to wood, areas of old, inactive insect damage, and some nicks and abrasions as shown, but otherwise very nice presentation with patina to wood and nice remaining detail.

• Shipping Info

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