Asian Art (20 May 2019 B) Mon, 20th May 2019 Lot 129

Estimate: £40000 - £60000 + Fees A CHINESE EMBROIDERED SILK 'CUNDI ' . Early Qing Dynasty, or earlier. The eighteen- armed adorned with elaborate jewellery, seated in dhyanasana atop a large lotus flower on a tall stem emerging from a pond, with sixteen arms holding attributes symbolising the various means to gain enlightenment, the remaining two pairs arranged in meditative , the lotus throne flanked by two attendants in long robes, each with a halo around the head, the panel mounted in a floral brocade border, 115 x 56cm. Provenance: a diplomatic gift from Chiang Kai-shek (1887 – 1975) to the ruler of Nepal, His Highness Maharaj Bhim Shumsher Rana (1865 – 1932) via Ma Fuxiang (1876 – 1932) in 1930, thence by descent. 清早 期或更早 十八臂準提佛母像刺繡掛屏 來源：作為外交禮物由 蔣介石（1887 – 1975）經馬福祥 (1876 – 1932)於1930年贈與尼 泊爾總理Maharaj Bhim Shumsher Rana 殿下(1865 – 1932)， 此後由家族傳承至現藏家 *For a full condition report, please contact the department.* *请您联系我们索取品项报告。* THE CUNDI BODHISATTVA When Cundi Bodhisattva first appeared in China during in the eighth century she was defined as biezun, an object of specific veneration in her own right with her own self-contained cult, only later incorporated within larger constellations of . The version of the Cundi dharana gave specific instruction as to the iconographic depiction of Cundi, consolidating and standardising her status, although her iconography was widely reinterpreted and altered across East Asia over the succeeding centuries. During the Liao Dynasty (907 – 1125) Cundi Bodhisattva gained a prominent foothold as a cult figure in China which she has maintained through to the Qing Dynasty. For the Buddhist practitioner depictions of Cundi are not simply representational but are also considered to embody her and a spiritual connection with her is further enhanced through the recitation of her , the Cundi Dharaṇi. From the Yuan Dynasty onwards Cundi was depicted on circular bronze mirrors where her image would be depicted within a border of her mantra written in lança or Chinese script. She would often be depicted from the back, so when the practitioner was looking into the smooth side of the mirror and reciting the mantra, it would be as though she was facing him from beyond/within the reflective surface. Whilst representations of Cundi in bronze, including sculptures, are relatively common, embroidered depictions are exceptionally rare. Paintings therefore represent the strongest reference point for the development of two- dimensional depictions of the Bodhisattva. See for example a thirteenth century depiction of Cundi from the Senso-ji Temple in Tokyo, Japan, with a variant , attributes and number of arms, but with similarly raised on a lotus thrown borne on a stem above water, with two attendants below left and right. For a depiction of Cundi on paper dated to the Kangxi era, see Poly Auction, 7 June 2017, lot 6041. The present lot appears to be situated stylistically at some point on a continuum between the two images, although a radiocarbon test of this lot produced a date of early Qing Dynasty (results available on request). Framed within a typically Ming Dynasty woven silk border of lotus flowers, and above two attendants of attenuated form, the figure strongly recalls iconography of the Ming. The medium of embroidered silk is perfectly suited to convey the majesty of Cundi. The gold thread, embroidered in the characteristically early split stitch technique is made up of twisted threads over the face to distributes reflected light across its surface in an even tone. In contrast the smooth thread over the arms and shoulders to fill the body in a golden glow. The three- dimensional treatment of the noses further draws the figures from the embroidered plane and the green sash over the shoulders is layered above the skin and other layers of clothing providing depth and the way it is folded between Cundi’s various arms lends dynamic tension to the pose. This piece has clearly had a religious life spanning the centuries since its creation and whilst the provenance goes back to 1930 its locations before then remains a mystery consistent with the figure’s enigmatic character. Literature: R.M. Gimello, ‘Icon and Incantation: The Zhunti and the Role of Images in the Occult of China’ in Images in Asian Religions: Text and Contexts 2010, pp 225-256. Puspa Niyogi, Buddhist Divinities, 2001, pp. 121-131.