佛像网

尺寸：162.5 x 96 x 37 cm
年代：14世纪
质地：木雕
风格：尼泊尔
来源：美国弗利尔美术馆
参阅：外部链接
鉴赏：

Bodhisattva White Avalokiteshvara (Amoghapasha Lokeshvara)

白观音（White Avalokiteshvara，字面意为“俯视世间的尊者”） 优雅地呈三屈式（tribhanga）而立，是喜马拉雅王国尼泊尔（Nepal）加德满都谷地（Kathmandu Valley）广受尊崇的护佑神祇。虔诚的佛教徒每月都会为他举行特殊的法会（pūjā）。椭圆面庞的秀美、躯干柔和的曲线，以及巧妙施用的彩绘，共同彰显了喜马拉雅艺术的成就。这尊造像本应供奉于佛寺的佛龛之中，考虑到它作为一尊经过装藏的圣像（X光照片显示其内部装有多种金属圣物和经卷以赋予其灵性），且时常接受 ritual 沐浴，其保存状况实属非凡。

此像由一整块木材雕成，见证了尼泊尔木雕技艺的精湛。所用木材为娑罗树木（shal tree，学名 Shorea robusta），这是一种耐腐抗虫的热带硬木，因而备受雕塑家青睐。工匠们在造像表面涂覆一层光滑的石膏底料（gesso，一种细腻的白色灰泥），再施以多种色彩与纹样。如今缺失的部分包括喜马拉雅造像特有的宝石镶嵌，以及原本八臂中的两臂。

Standing poised in the elegant tribhanga (triple-bent) pose, White Avalokiteshvara (literally, The Lord Who Looks down from on High) is a popular guardian deity of the Kathmandu Valley of the Himalayan kingdom of Nepal, and pious Buddhists perform a special puja (ritual worship) to him each month. The beauty of the oval face, the sinuous lines of the torso, and the deft addition of paint make a significant statement about the achievement of Himalayan art. The image, which would have been honored within the shrine of a Buddhist monastery, is in exceptional condition considering that as a consecrated figure (X-rays reveal the insertion of a variety of metal objects and prayers that empower it), it frequently received ritual baths.

Carved from a single large piece of wood, the image testifies to Nepalese skill in woodcarving. The wood is from the shal tree (shorea robusta), a tropical hardwood highly resistant to decay and insect damage, and therefore favored by sculptors. Artists covered the figure with a smooth layer of gesso (a fine, white plaster) and painted it in a variety of colors and patterns. Missing today is the inlay of precious stones, a Himalayan specialty, as well as two of the eight additional arms.

Provenance
To 1972
Rossi & Rossi, Ltd., London, to 1972 [1]
From 1972 to 1990
Unidentified collector-dealer (died 1990), Italy and London, purchased from Rossi & Rossi, Ltd. in 1972 [2]
Around 1990 to 1999
Unidentified collector-dealer, purchased though Rossi & Rossi, Ltd., around 1990 [3]
From 1999 to 2000
Rossi & Rossi, Ltd., purchased from the above-mentioned unidentified collector in 1999 [4]
From 2000
Freer Gallery of Art, purchased from Rossi & Rossi, Ltd. in 2000
Notes:
[1] According to Curatorial Note 2, Vidya Dehejia, March 28, 2000, in the object record.
[2] In the early 1980s, the unknown collector moved to London, and consigned the object for sale with Michael Godhuis. However, the object remained unsold until after the owner's death in 1990; at which point, Rossi & Rossi, Ltd. was asked to sell the object (see Curatorial Note 2, Vidya Dehejia, March 28, 2000, in the object record). Also, see copy of the Godhuis catalog and other documentation in the object file.
[3] See note 1.
[4] See note 1.

Collection
Freer Gallery of Art Collection

Exhibition History
Body Image (October 14, 2017 - ongoing)
Arts of the Indian Subcontinent and the Himalayas (October 16, 2004 to January 3, 2016)

Previous custodian or owner
Rossi & Rossi, Ltd.