A rare gilt-lacquer wood figure of Amida Nyorai (Amitabha) Japan, Kamakura - Muromachi period, 12th - 14th century | 日本 鎌倉至室町时代 十二至十四世紀 漆金木雕阿彌陀如來坐像

Collection of Henri Vever (1854-1942).

Collection Antoine Larue (1898-1964), acquired ca. 1950, and thence by family descent. 

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Henri Vever（1854-1942）收藏 

Antoine Larue （1898-1964）收藏，約1950年得，此後家族傳承

This elegant statue depicts Amida Nyorai (Amitabha) sitting in serene meditation, his hands held in the traditional jō-in mudra. Popularised in the Kamakura period (1185-1333), Amida is the principal deity of Pure Land (Jōdo) Buddhism, in which salvation is seen as universally accessible through the simple chanting of Amida’s name.

With carefully rendered draped clothing and a contemplative expression, the present lot is emblematic of Buddhist sculpture of the period, influenced strongly by the naturalism of the earlier ‘Kei School’. A similar figure, with hands in a mudra representing ‘upper lower birth’ (Gebon Jōshō) was sold at Christie’s New York, 22nd September 2020, lot 20.

Henri Vever (1854-1942) was a well-known jeweller and art historian who amassed a remarkable collection of world art, from Impressionist paintings to Persian miniatures. One of the first Western collectors to take an interest in Japanese ukiyo-e woodblock prints, Vever was an early member of Les Amis de l'Art Japonais alongside the likes of famed collector Charles Gillot and Claude Monet.

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此尊佛像乃阿彌陀如來（Amitabha），優雅端坐寂靜禪定，雙手結傳統定印。阿彌陀信仰在鎌倉時代（1185-1333）大行，其為淨土宗之主尊，倡導簡單持名念佛以求普渡眾生。此尊造像衣紋垂墜，神態安詳，彰顯彼時佛教雕塑之風範，深受早期「慶派」自然主義之影響。一類似之像，雙手結上品上生印（Gebon Jōshō），曾於2020年9月22日於紐約佳士得拍賣，編號20。

亨利·維弗爾（Henri Vever, 1854-1942）乃著名珠寶商及藝術史學家，其收藏世界藝術珍品，涵蓋印象派繪畫及波斯細密畫等。維弗爾為首批西方收藏家中對日本浮世繪木版畫感興趣者之一，亦為「日本藝術之友」早期成員，與著名收藏家查爾斯·吉洛（Charles Gillot）及畫家克勞德·莫奈並列。