Famille Rose Porcelain of Amitayus Buddha Statue, Green Tara Staue, White Tara Statue
禦制粉彩瓷塑無量壽佛、綠度母、白度母三尊
大清乾隆年制款
Wd.23cm Ht.36.8cm
The three Famille rose porcelain sculptures of the Immeasurable Buddha, Green Tara, and White Tara are the masters of the porcelain-making craftsmanship of the Qianlong imperial kiln.
The head of the Amitayus Buddha wears a five-leaf crown, the shoulders are wholesale, the treasure is floating around the ears, the face is kind, the eyebrows are lowered, the nose is high, the corners of the mouth are introverted, and the look is peaceful. The chest is decorated with a U-shaped Yingluo, the wrists and upper arms are decorated with shackles, both hands are in front of the navel with meditation seals, and the palm holds a longevity bottle containing a flame-shaped Manibao. The knot is sitting on the waist and lying on the lotus seat. The lotus petals are painted in carmine red, with bright colors. The Buddha has a wide-shouldered waist and is wearing a fruit-green monk's robe. The top is decorated with goose yellow dots and a bright yellow plum blossom dot pattern. The goose-yellow gown skirt is decorated with auspicious patterns of alum red Tuanbaoxiang flower. Before the legs. The face, body, hands, and feet are glazed, and the glaze is slightly colored to make it close to the skin color, and the gloss is strong, conveying the Buddhist heart of charity. The details focus on simulating the effect of gold and bronze Buddha statues. The crown, Ying Luo, and arm rings are painted in gold, and then each color glaze is applied to imitate red coral, lapis lazuli, turquoise, and other color treasures, which is vivid and lifelike. The aquarium and lotus seat in the hands of the Amitayus Buddha is fired in sections, and the lotus seat is joined with the seated image in a tenon and tenon structure. The design is ingenious and the workmanship is superb.
The body complexion of Green Tara is described in the Buddhist classics. The body is emerald green and plump. Sitting on a famille vert lotus seat with knotted left leg, stretched right foot forward naturally, stepping on a lotus flower underneath. Wearing an exquisite five-leaf crown, pierced earrings, cyan hair bun towering, and treasures floating in the ears. The face is round, the forehead is wide, the nose is high and the lips are thin. Place left hand on chest, right hand on right knee, hold the water bottle in hand, hold a stem of lotus in each hand, and place the lotus on shoulders. Wearing purple silk, the streamer passes between the arms and naturally floats on the side of the body. The lines are elegant and dynamic. She wears an orange-red monk skirt with natural pleats, which vividly expresses the light texture of the fabric.
White Tara's facial expression, wearing ornaments, and rosette are the same as those of Green Tara, but the image is also shaped strictly according to the Buddhist scriptures. The body is white, the glaze is bright and moist, and the texture is expressed with a light red color on the face. The eyes, the center of the hands, and the feet each have one eye, a total of seven eyes, which are the identity of White Tara.
The magnificent glaze and exquisite craftsmanship of these three porcelain statues determine that their artistic value and difficulty in production are higher than those of gold and bronze Buddha statues. Because they combine clay sculpture, painting, coloring, and firing, craftsmen are required to have extremely high Craft skills, art skills, and cultural accomplishment. The molding of Buddha statues is complex, especially the handling of facial expressions, and pleated details are not competent. After molding, sculptures, connection, and other techniques are required for decoration, which requires extreme care everywhere. After the porcelain body is finished, it needs to be painted, so it needs to enter the kiln several times before and after it is made. During the firing, it is very easy to deform and crack, and the yield is extremely low. The Qing palace archives clearly describe the firing of such porcelain statues.
Qianlong seal mark
此拍品粉彩瓷塑無量壽佛、綠度母、白度母三尊即為乾隆御窯制瓷工藝之集大成者。
無量壽佛頭帶五葉寶冠，批發垂肩，寶繒飄拂於耳際，面相慈祥，細眉垂目，高鼻垂耳，嘴角內斂，神態安祥。胸前裝飾U形瓔珞，手腕、上臂飾有釧環，雙手於臍前結禪定印，掌中捧盛裝火焰狀摩尼寶的長壽寶瓶，結跏趺坐於束腰仰覆蓮花座上，蓮瓣以胭脂紅彩描繪，色彩明快。尊佛身形寬肩豐腰，身披果綠僧衣，上以鵝黃點墜明黃梅花點紋，下著鵝黃色的袍裙，裝飾礬紅團寶相花吉祥紋樣，衣褶流暢，鋪於腿前。面部、身體、手腳施釉，釉色中微施彩使之接近膚色，光澤感強，傳達出佛家的濟世之善心。整體製作精細，細節著力模擬金銅佛像之效果，寶冠、瓔珞、臂釧以金彩描繪，再施各色彩釉以仿紅珊瑚、青金石、綠松石等諸色珍寶，生動逼真。無量壽佛手中寶瓶、蓮花座均分段燒造，蓮花座以榫卯結構與坐像接合，設計巧妙，工藝精湛絕倫。
綠度母身體膚色依佛經典籍所述，通身翡翠綠色，體態豐腴，左腿結跏趺坐於五彩蓮花座上，右腳自然前伸，腳下踩一朵蓮花。頭戴精美的五葉寶冠，佩耳璫，紺青發髻高聳，寶繒飄拂於耳際。面龐圓潤，額際寬隆，高鼻薄唇，雙目微合，微露笑意。左手置於胸前，右手置於右膝之上，手中持淨水壺，雙手各執蓮花一莖，蓮花於肩頭盛放。身披紫色陂帛，飄帶自雙臂間穿過，於身側自然飄起，線條飄逸，富有動感。下身著橘紅色僧裙，衣褶堆迭自然，將織物的輕薄質感表現得十分生動。白度母之面相神態、穿著佩飾、蓮座皆與綠度母相同，惟形象亦嚴格按照佛經所述塑造，身體呈白色，釉光明晰潤澤，上以淡淡的礬紅彩表現肌理，面部三目，雙手、雙腳中心各生一目，合計七目，是為白度母之身份標識。此三尊瓷塑佛像之華麗彩釉、精湛工藝決定了其藝術價值和製作難度均在金銅佛像之上，因其將泥塑、繪畫、敷色、燒瓷集於一身，要求工匠具備極高的工藝技巧、美術功底和文化修養。佛像成型複雜，尤其面部神態及衣褶細部之處理非庸手可以勝任，在模製成型後需運用雕塑、駁接等技法加以裝飾，處處需要異常審慎。瓷胎完成後，還要加以彩繪，故需前後多次入窯方成，燒造當中極易變形疵裂，成品率極低，對此類瓷塑佛像的燒造，清宮檔案有明確記述。