Bodhi: Masterpieces of Monumental Buddhist Art

B uddhism has profoundly influenced the lives of millions of followers for over two millennia. Almost since the dawn of the religion, Buddhist icons, especially monumental, lifelike sculptures of Buddha and bodhisattvas, have been powerful objects that help Buddhist practitioners visualise the presence of the deities and support their spiritual journey to a higher realm – bodhi (Sanskrit and Pali: “awakening,” “enlightenment”). For centuries, devoted patrons and dedicated craftsmen have spared no effort in creating mesmerising religious images – from malleable clay to durable stone, from organic wood to inorganic bronze – not only to impress the living on earth but also to earn merits for the world beyond.

The inaugural exhibition at Sotheby’s Maison, Bodhi: Masterpieces of Monumental Buddhist Art, showcases a diverse curation of exceptional Buddhist sculptures spanning from ancient Gandhara to the glorious Ming court, through the turbulent era of the Northern and Southern dynasties, as well as the Song period. The exhibition offers a comprehensive view of the artistic development of Buddhism and a glimpse of another world, ethereal and eternal, beyond our transient existence.

Exhibition Details

27 July – 10 September 2024
Monday–Saturday | 11:00AM–7:00PM
Sunday | 11:00AM–6:00PM

Sotheby's Maison, Hong Kong
Chater House, 8 Connaught Road Central, Central

Exhibition Highlights

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A painted limestone standing figure of Buddha, Northern Qi dynasty

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A large grey schist seated figure of preaching Shakyamuni Buddha, Ancient region of Gandhara, 3rd century

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A monumental grey schist standing figure of Buddha, Ancient region of Gandhara, Kushan period, 2nd - 3rd century

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A wood figure of a seated bodhisattva, Song dynasty

A monumental seated bronze figure of Buddha, Ming dynasty, late 15th - early 16th century

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A large wood sculpture of Avalokiteshvara, Song dynasty

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A large gilt-bronze figure of Maitreya, Yuan dynasty - Ming dynasty, Hongwu period

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A limestone head of a bodhisattva, Sui dynasty

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A wood figure of a seated bodhisattva, Song dynasty

Life and death of Shakyamuni Buddha

Life and death of Shakyamuni Buddha (6th-5th century BC)

Shakyamuni Buddha dies at Kushingar and burial mounds, known as stupa, are built around the time of his death to house his corporeal remains to most embody the actual person of Shakyamuni Buddha, marking the genesis of Buddhist imagery.

Mauryan Empire, Ashokan era (c. 304-232 BC)

Mauryan Emperor Ashoka (c 304-232 BC) vigorously promotes Buddhism across his vast empire and commissions the earliest extant Buddhist imagery and monuments to commemorate the Buddha’s life. Noteable artefacts include an inscribed pillar erected at the Lumbini Garden to identify the birthplace of the Buddha in 249 BC.

Kushan Empire (c. 2nd century BC-3rd century AD)

With its strategic geographical position on the Silk Road, the Gandharan civilisation reaches its peak in the 2nd-3rd century AD and produces some of the earliest figurative Buddhist imagery. Known for its truly impressive artistic vigour and distinctive style that is a synthesis of East and West, the visual vocabulary of this period exudes both Hellenistic and Indic influences.

Northern Wei dynasty (386 – 534)

The Northern Wei dynasty witnesses the early stages of the transmission of Buddhism into China to its widespread acceptance in the country. Buddhism is fostered as the state religion and Buddhist projects receive ideological and financial support from the autocratic powers. Some of the most iconic and monumental examples of Buddhist art, such as the Yungang and Longmen Grottoes, are constructed.

Northern Qi dynasty (550-577)

Buddhism continues to be propagated throughout the Northern Qi dynasty, alongside the production of large-scale Buddhist sites, such as the Qingzhou region in Shandong province and the Xiangtangshan Grottoes in southern Hebei province. The inscription of sutra texts begin to surface alongside Buddhist imagery in cave-temples during the Northern Qi dynasty, adding a hitherto unseen textual element to Buddhist cave temples.

Sui dynasty (581-618)

After over three centuries of political division, China is reunited under the Sui rulers in 589. This period sees the encouragement of devotion to Amitabha, or a bodhisattva, leading to a proliferation of bodhisattva images being produced, with a particular emphasis on naturalism, idealised forms, and harmonious curves. The Sui emperors’ increased communication across eastern Eurasia also contributes to the transmission of Buddhism and its visual rhetoric to Korean and Japan.

Tang dynasty (618-907)

Alongside an unparalleled proliferation of Buddhism, the Tang dynasty sculptural tradition in China reaches a stage of blossom in all its major mediums, and by the mid Tang dynasty, develops into one that is deeply steeped in realism and elegance, and characterised by a sensuous treatment of form and movement that remains arguably unsurpassed to this day. The lasting legacy of the Tang Buddhist visual landscape include the Tianlongshan Grottoes, which are revived during the Tang dynasty after the establishment in the mid 6th century, and the Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang.

Song dynasty (960-1279)

Chan Buddhism flourishes in the Song dynasty, with Buddhist temples and images multiplying, many of which are extant today and testify to the glorious integration of architecture, painting, and sculpture. Often carved in wood and painted with bright pigments, the finest Buddhism sculptures of the Song dynasty are sensitively rendered and exuded an element of humanism.

Ming dynasty (1368-1644)

The promulgation of the Buddhist faith, alongside patronage of Buddhist imagery, continues through the Ming dynasty. The craftsmanship of bronze casting reaches its pinnacle, lending to an increased production of exceptional bronze sculptures of varying sizes that demonstrated the craftsmen’s utmost attention to the smallest detail – even in exceptionally large sculptures.

Discover More at Sotheby's Maison

Exhibition • 27 July - 10 September 2024 • Hong Kong

Exhibition Details

Exhibition Highlights

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