元/明初 鎏金銅羅漢坐像一對元/明初 鎏金銅羅漢坐像一對33 1⁄4 in. (85 cm) and 33 1⁄2 in. (87.6 cm.) high, respectivelyDetails AN EXCEEDINGLY RARE PAIR OF GILT-BRONZE SEATED LUOHAN FIGURESYUAN-EARLY MING DYNASTY, 13TH-15TH CENTURYEach figure is superbly cast, one wearing a monastic robe crossed at the chest and secured above the waist with a bowed drawstring and falling in naturalistic foldsaround the protruding feet, the hands raised in abhaya and varada mudras, the face witha calm and serene expression, the interior is inscribed zuo si, ‘left four’. The otherwith a more pronounced cranium, wearing long robes ranging from one shoulder and wound around the upper waist leaving the chest bare, the hands in similar mudras,the interior inscribed you si, ‘right four’.33 1⁄4 in. (85 cm) and 33 1⁄2 in. (87.6 cm.) high, respectively Provenance Offered at Christie’s Hong Kong, 29 September 1992, lot 896A & J Speelman Ltd. Oriental Art, London, 1 April 1998品相: SACRED OFFERINGS: A PAIR OF GILT-BRONZE LUOHAN FIGURESThe current pair of gilt bronze luohan is masterfully cast and of notably large size in the form of two youthful monks, one wearing an Indian-style robe exposing the right shoulder, the other a Chinese- style robe with a right-hand opening, both sitting with legs pendant in a relaxed pose. They are inscribed with the characters ‘zuo si (left four)’ and ‘you si (right four)’ respectively, probably indicating their positions when displayed in a temple. However, no manufacture dates are inscribed, and some exploration is required to ascertain their age. Although the origin of luohan can be traced to the arhats in Indian scriptures, arhats were not objects of devotion in ancient India. The cult of luohan and its artistic representation is therefore indigenous to China, a by-product of Buddhism’s long history of Sinicization. Xuanzang’s translation of Nandimitravadana in 654, a scripture dedicated to the Sixteen Arhats (Luohan), provided the theological foundation for the cult of luohan as well as the basis for their artistic representations, which took shape in the late Tang/Five-Dynasties periods. Although there are depictions of monks in Tang cave sculptures, the earliest depiction of the Sixteen Luohan as prescribed in Nandimitravadana is found in the Yanxia Cave in Hangzhou (fig.1), dated to 953 in the Wuyue Kingdom period. Apart from the Sixteen Luohan in the scripture, two more figures were added: Nandimitra, the author of Nandimitravadana, and another unnamed figure, possibly Xuanzang. This set could also be considered the earliest depiction of the ‘Eighteen Luohan’, a composition not rooted in any Buddhist scriptures but gained popularity from Song period onwards. A small gilt bronze figure of luohan excavated at the base of Huiguang Pagoda in Ruian in 1966 is one of the earliest examples of bronze luohan in this period. The worship of luohan reached its zenith in the Song period, when stories of miraculous events associated with luohan were widespread and propagated by the literati class. From the imperial family to laymen, all were participating in the worship, and Su Shi was the most famous amongst them. His grandfather on his mother’s side, Cheng Wenying, was said to have received generous help from sixteen monks, who he believed to be the Sixteen Luohan in disguise, when he suffered crippling adversity at one point in his life. Thereafter, he organized four large-scale ceremonies of luohan worship every year to commemorate them. When Su Shi was demoted and banished to Hainan Island, he remembered his grandfather’s story, and visited a local luohan temple to pay his respects. He offered his calligraphy to the temple and also composed four poems in praise of luohan. Later, he acquired a painting of the Eighteen Luohan by Zhang Xuan of Five Dynasties, and sent it as a gift to his brother Su Che. There are a wide range of subjects for which people offer their prayers to luohan in the Song Dynasty: prayers concerning the weather (rain); health, longevity; success in examination and officialdom; and prayers for the dead – almost every aspect of one’s life was touched by the worship of luohan. The translation of Nandimitravadana heralded the start of luohan image making, but the scripture did not provide any description of their appearances or characteristics, resulting in very free and diverse styles full of creativity. The starting point for the luohan imagery is normally a senior, virtuous monk with either an Indian or a Chinese appearance. There are two distinctive types: those following painter Guan Xiu, also called ‘Chanyue Style’ (Chanyue is Guan Xiu’s sobriquet), are painted with caricatured, archaic, Indian-inspired appearances; those following painter Li Gonglin, also called ‘Longmian Style’ (Li Gonglin resides in Mt. Longmian), are more naturalistic and depicted in a lifelike setting. These two styles and their variations, incorporating the descriptions given in Su Shi’s poems, became the basis for luohan imagery from Northern Song onwards, and is one of the most important genres in Chinese Buddhist art. The most celebrated Song sculptures of luohan are the Eighteen Luohan found in Chongqing Temple in Shaanxi dated to 1079, and the 27 figures of luohan in the Lingyan Temple in Shandong dated to 1066. Their lifelike features and distinctive characters are the hallmarks of the naturalistic style of Song sculptures. Very few Song Dynasty bronze examples of luohan remain, the most notable being the four examples in the Xiangguo Temple in Kaifeng (fig. 2). They were allegedly part of a set of Five Hundred Luohan, all destroyed in 1927 apart from these four, which also show a naturalistic and unadorned style. In the Yuan and Ming periods, Tibetan Buddhism became the adopted religion for the Imperial families. Although luohan worship exists within Tibetan Buddhism, it did not appear until after 15th century, when the Kashmiri scholar Sakya Rishi translated the text Offerings to the Sixteen Arhats. This text differs from Nandimitravadana in its accounts of the Sixteen Arhats: 1. The order of the arhats is different; 2. Two of the arhats’ names are different, namely: Nakula (Chinese) versus Bakula (Tibetan); Subinda (Chinese) versus Abhedya (Tibetan). Furthermore, in the Offerings, the appearances of the arhats are noted in detail. For example, Bakula is described to be holding a shrew in his hands; Rahula is described to be holding a crown etc. These attributes were not seen in Chinese depictions of luohan prior to the 15th century. Currently there are no sculptures of the Sixteen Luohan that can be accurately dated to the Yuan period, but from paintings dated to the turn of 13th/14th century, it appears that the images of luohan follow closely the Chinese tradition of previous periods and were not influenced by 15th century Tibetan scripture. Images of luohan from the early Ming imperial court look significantly different. Two examples of early Ming gilt bronze luohan were sold by Christie’s Hong Kong, one on 24 October, 1993, lot 524 (fig. 3); the other on 30 October, 1994, lot 390 (fig. 4). The ’93 luohan holds a shrew in his left hand, and very clearly depicts Bakula as described in the Tibetan texts. The ’94 figure holds two gold earrings, and matches the description of Kalika in the text. These two figures and another one of Gopaka (holding a book in his hand), in the collection of Victoria & Albert Museum, most likely came from the same set, and are inscribed with the characters dong di yi (first on the east), xi di si (fourth on the west) and dong di qi (seventh on the east) respectively, probably indicating their positions when displayed in the temple. The iconography of these three figures follow closely the descriptions in Tibetan texts, and differ in style from the naturalistic and dynamic modelling of earlier examples with their regal, composed and restrained manner. Similarly, the current pair of luohan are also inscribed with the characters zuo si (left four) and you si (right four), probably indicating their positions. The casting style compares very well to early Ming imperial figures, and they probably were holding attributes in their hands originally, which would have helped to identify them. Notably, the way the folds of the fabric is depicted on the Indian- style robe, with rhythmic diagonal lines and a triangular-shaped fold around the collar, can also be seen on Yongle period gilt bronze figures of Buddha. This pair of luohan is cast in similar style to the gilt bronze luohan in the Tsz Shan Monastery Budhdist Art Museum (fig. 5), purchased from Christie’s Hong Kong, 30 November 2016, lot 3233). These luohan figures were probably made around the same period for an important imperial Tibetan Buddhist monastery, and are rare and important examples of this genre. ---------------------以下为软件翻译，仅供参考---------------------