A PAIR OF POLYCHROME STUCCO FRESCO FRAGMENTS YUAN / MING DYNASTY |

each depicting a celestial deity attired in flowing robes, sashes, and ornaments, the saintly round faces painted with delicate features crowned by elaborate phoenix headdresses, with textural details picked out in gesso relief, the first, painted dancing with one arm gracefully arced above the head, attended by a small kalavinka presenting a tray of 'Buddha's hand' citrons, the other, charming a lion with dizi song beside a spotted bamboo balustrade, each composition set against a heavenly sky of billowing clouds, framed (2)

The frescos were not removed from the frame for inspection. The one illustrated on the left in the catalogue has a few consolidated cracks with some associated retouched areas, particularly to the corners. The other has a horizontal crack across the mid-section. Both frescos have expected cracks and small losses to the gesso reliefs and pigments throughout. Overall with expected wear and fading to the pigments.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

The present frescoes are inspired by earlier depictions of Buddhist deities, like the ones seen in the Mogao grottoes at Dunhuang. Compare the sculpture and murals in Cave 57, illustrated in Roderick Whitfield et. al., Cave Temples of Mogao. Art and History on the Silk Road, Los Angeles, 2000, p. 37, as well as the murals of bodhisattva in caves 172 and 199, illustrated in Chang Shuhong, The Art Treasures of Dunhuang, Hong Kong and New York, 1981, paying close attention to the garments and ornamentation of the figures. Compare as well a pair of frescoes sold at Sotheby Parke-Bernet, 18th-19th October 1945, lot 437; sold again in these rooms, 22nd March 2001, lots 19 and 21; and one of the pair sold a third time in these rooms 15th September 2010, lot 293.  Ming and Qing painters of Buddhist subjects sought to mimic the style of the Tang dynasty artist Wu Daozi, considered a master of Buddhist mural paintings. Examples of Ming paintings executed in the tradition of Wu are discussed in Latter Days of the Law: Images of Chinese Buddhism 850-1850, Helen Foresman Spencer Museum of Art, Kansas, 1995, pp. 55, 446. Followers also studied and adhered to Wu's Eight Classes of Supernatural Beings (Tian Long Ba Bu Zhen Ji), whose classification included 'celestial beings, musical demigods, and mythical bird-gods,' ibid., p. 445.