A POLYCHROMED SOAPSTONE FIGURE OF A PANDITATIBETO-CHINESE, CIRCA 17TH CENTURY
Himalayan Art Resources item no.16711
14 cm (5 1/2 in.) high注脚Clad in voluminous monastic robes and wearing a red pandit's hat, the figure represents an Indian forefather of Tibetan Buddhism. The skilled stone carver has created an image of surprising realism. The undulating pleats of his loosely draped robe, for example, delight in the fluid nature of the textile. With his torso leaning to the right and partially supported by the bend of his right wrist, the teacher's head tilts naturally to the left as he looks directly at the viewer with a benevolent expression. His hands and nails are treated with remarkable precision, and even his Adam's apple is clearly defined.

It is possible the figure represents Atisha (982-1054), the great Indian master widely respected within the Tibetan and Chinese Buddhist community. Sculptural and painted images often depict Atisha wearing a red pandit's hat with the two long lappets tucked in the same way as the present figure. For example, see a wooden portrait of the master at the Rubin Museum of Art (C2013.12.6 ). While Atisha often appears with his hands in dharmachakra mudra, he may also adopt other hand gestures, as seen in a sapphire figure of Atisha in the Palace Museum, Beijing (Zangchuan fojiao zaoxiang-Gugong bowuyuan cang wenwu zhenpin quanji, Hong Kong, 2008, p.271, no.260).

Provenance
Sotheby's, New York, 20 March 2001, lot 119
Collection of Drs. Edmund and Julie Lewis, Chicago


彩繪班智達石像
漢藏風格，約十七世紀
喜馬拉雅藝術資源網16711號
高14釐米（5 1/2英吋）

250,000-400,000港幣

這位身著寬衣長袍、頭戴紅色智師帽者為一位來自印度的佛教祖師。此尊石像呈現出令人讚歎的寫實感，僧袍波濤起伏的褶皺巧妙地表達出了織物的柔軟特質。祖師右臂撐地，支住右傾的上身，頭部自然傾向左側，宛如正低頭注視著參拜者，滿目慈愛。細看時，其手部與指甲的刻畫皆無比精細，甚至連喉結都清晰準確地雕刻出來。

此人物可能為在漢藏佛教信徒中備受尊重的印度高僧阿底俠（982-1054年）。造像與繪畫中的阿底峽時常戴有同樣的紅色班智達帽，帽子兩側垂下的長帶向內折起塞入耳旁，與本造像十分類似，參考一件魯賓藝術博物館藏木質阿底峽像（編號C2013.12.6 ）。儘管阿底峽經常被塑造為雙手結說法印，其他手印亦曾出現，一尊北京故宮博物院藏青玉阿底峽像即為一例（參見《藏傳佛教造像——故宮博物院藏文物珍品全集》，香港，2008年，頁271，編號260）。

來源
蘇富比，紐約，2001年3月20日，拍品119
Edmund與Julie Lewis醫生珍藏，芝加哥