A GESSO AND STUCCO FRESCO DEPICTING TWO CELESTIAL MAIDENS, YUAN TO MING DYNASTY
China, 13th-16th century. The rectangular panel fragment finely painted in polychrome pigments with details gilded and picked out in neatly applied gesso relief. The celestial maidens both with serene expressions, adorned in flowing robes and elaborate headdresses.


Provenance:
Belgian trade.

Condition:
Excellent condition, commensurate with age. Old wear, soiling, flaking and losses to gilt and gesso. The pigments are remarkably well preserved with only minor fading and minimal losses.

Dimensions: Image size 77 x 47 cm, Size incl. frame 84 x 54 cm

With an old Chinese wood frame and brass hook for suspension. (2)


The present stucco fresco was inspired by earlier depictions of Buddhist deities
, like the ones seen in the Mogao grottoes at Dunhuang. Ming 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’ by Helen Foresman, Spencer Museum of Art, Kansas, 1995, pages 55 and 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’.


Literature comparison:

Compare the sculpture and murals in Cave 57 of the Mogao grottos at Dunhuang, 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.


Auction result comparison:

Type: Closely related
Auction: Sotheby’s New York, 20 March 2019, lot 693
Price: USD 18,750 or approx.
EUR 20,000
converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A polychrome stucco fresco fragment, Yuan/Ming dynasty
Expert remark: Compare the closely related technique with similar elaborate headdresses gilded and picked out in gesso relief and the manner of painting with similar serene expressions and flowing robes. Note the near-identical size (77 x 55 cm).


Auction result comparison:

Type: Related
Auction: Sotheby’s New York, 23 September 2020, lot 608
Price: USD 12,600 or approx.
EUR 13,500
converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A polychrome stucco fresco fragment, Ming dynasty
Expert remark: Compare the closely related technique with similar elaborate headdresses gilded and picked out in gesso relief and the manner of painting with similar serene expressions and flowing robes. Note the smaller size (66 x 41.5 cm) and that this fresco was
probably trimmed in the 20th century
.




元至明彩繪灰泥《神女》壁畫


中國，十三至十六世紀。彩繪兩位神女，手持儀仗，神情安詳，身著飄逸的長袍，頭戴精緻的發飾，背景是祥雲。多色顏料繪製，局部描金。


來源：
比利時古玩交易。

品相：
品相極佳，有磨損、髒污、剝落以及鍍金和石膏的缺損。彩繪保存得非常好，只有輕微的褪色和缺損。

尺寸：畫面77 x 47 厘米, 總84 x 54 厘米

中國木框和用於懸掛的黃銅鉤。 (2)


文獻比較：

比較敦煌莫高窟第57窟的雕塑和​​壁畫，見Roderick Whitfield編，《Cave Temples of Mogao，Art and History on the Silk Road》，洛杉磯，2000年，頁37。以及另一件敦煌莫高窟第172窟和199窟，見Chang Shuhong，《The Art Treasures of Dunhuang》，香港和紐約，1981年，非常相近的人物的服裝和裝飾。


拍賣結果比較：

形制：非常相近
拍賣：紐約蘇富比，2019年3月20日，lot 693
價格：USD 18,750（相當於今日
EUR 20,000
）
描述：元 / 明灰泥彩繪天女圖壁畫殘部
專家評論：比較非常相近的技術，以及相似的精緻的頭飾，鍍金並以石膏浮雕、繪畫風格，以及相似的平靜的表情和飄逸的長袍。請注意幾乎相同的尺寸(77 x 55 厘米)。


拍賣結果比較：

形制：相近
拍賣：紐約蘇富比，2020年9月23日，lot 608
價格：USD 12,600（相當於今日
EUR 13,500
）
描述：明灰泥彩繪天女圖壁畫殘部
專家評論：比較非常相近的技術，以及相似的精緻的頭飾，鍍金並以石膏浮雕、繪畫風格，以及相似的平靜的表情和飄逸的長袍。請注意尺寸較小(66 x 41.5 厘米) ，以及這壁畫
可能在二十世紀被修復過
。