Lot 116
RARE TENTURE EN BROCART DE SOIE REPRÉSENTANT LE PARADIS BOUDDHIQUE, Chine, dynastie Qing, époque Qianlong (1736-1795)
Adjugé 28 864 €
Finement tissé en fils d'or et de couleur, il représente le paradis bouddhique :
de haut en bas, le soleil et la lune, deux groupes de quatre apsaras portant des offrandes, trois bouddhas du passé, du présent et du futur (Bhaisajyaguru, Sakyamuni, Amitabha), les disciples les plus proches de Bouddha (Mahakashyapa et Ananda), et enfin les dix-huit luohan et quatre rois célestes (Si Da Tian Wang 四大天王). Une inscription Wu Liang Shou Zun Fo « Amiytayus, Bouddha de la vie éternelle » est placée dans la partie supérieure. Les bordures sont tissées d'une frise de fleurs avec des accrocs et des déchirures horizontales.
L. : 143 cm (56 ¼ in.)
L.: 70 cm (27 ½ in.)
« Sensing the Buddha »
Lyce Jankowski, co-curator of the exhibition, tells us more
From the 21st of September 2024 to the 20th of April 2025, the Domain and Royal Museum of Mariemont offers an unprecedented immersion in the world of Buddhism.
More than an history of art approach, and a presentation of this religions spread throughout Asia, these sculptural works from the Chinese, Tibetan and Japanese worlds are presented for their worshiping significance, in contact with those practicing its faith in Belgium. When art meets the sensory world, the works of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas come to life again.
The curators have therefore imagined a scenography in the form of an initiative journey, with the public participating rather than simply observing, or admiring art. The exhibition also provides an opportunity to explore the fascinating history of Raoul Warocqué's Buddhist collections, which have been the subject of numerous rediscoveries during an in-depth study of the museum's storage area.
%20Affiche%20expo%20en%20fran%C3%A7ais.jpg)
Lyce Jankowski, co-curator of the exhibition, sinologist, numismatist and curator of the Extra-European Arts section at the Domain and Royal Museum of Mariemont, tells us all about it!
Buddha has been an iconic figure from Asia to our Western societies, with multiple meanings: either a symbol of a spiritual and idealized Asia, or a simple decorative element. Could you tell us how this project came about?
The project originated from the reorganization of our storage units, often very useful for studying our collections. We were able to rediscover a great many of Buddhist statues for 60 years. For all that time, they had remained in the shadows, never exhibited to the public nor published. This little-known collection deserved to be put in highlight for a major event. The timing of the exhibition was perfect as it coincides with the recognition of Buddhism in Belgium as a non-denominational philosophy, an event that was often mentioned in the press. We therefore wanted to present Buddhism, as a functioning religion to the public, to give them the keys to understanding it.
©Musée royal de Mariemont
You have chosen to include a participatory scenography device to penetrate the world of Buddhism. Could you tell us more about this?
This religion covers many complex metaphysical concepts, including Sanskrit terms. We have endeavored to bring to life some of these concepts, which are central to Buddhism, so that they can be better assimilated. One example is the concept of impermanence, which visitors are invited to experience by tracing the word “vacuity” in water, which disappears very quickly once the tracing has been completed. This experience allows visitors to grasp and feel the impermanence of all things, the very temporary nature of existence. We have also included individual testimonials from Belgian practitioners of Buddhism. These contribute to complementing theoretical and conceptual definitions with much more personal ones.
%20%C2%A9Mus%C3%A9e%20royal%20de%20Mariemont.jpg)
©Musée royal de Mariemont
Could you tell us about your collaboration with these local communities?
The exhibition was developed in the form of a participatory curatorship, called “A Community base curation”. We are fortunate to have Buddhist practitioners in Belgium who can speak directly to us about their experience and share their testimonies with us. We also wanted to involve them in the development of the exhibition. For instance, one Buddhist Venerable monk, explained that a reliquary could not be placed beneath a statue or decorative element: it had to be displayed above the other pieces, since it contains human remains. Thanks to these exchanges, we were able to respect the hierarchy between objects.
%20Bodhisattva%20Avalokiteshvara%20%C3%A0%20onze%20t%C3%AAtes%2C%20Tibet%2C%2019e%2C%20d%C3%A9trempe%20sur%20toile%20(thangka)%2C%20co.jpg)
Eleven-headed Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara,
Tibet, 19th century,
tempera on canvas (thangka),
Verbert collection
(CC BY-MRAH-© ImageStudio Royal Museums of Art and History, Brussels)
The exhibition brings together some one hundred works kept in the non-European collections of the museum. Can you tell us more about the history and background of these Asian collections?
The collection of the Domain and Royal Museum of Mariemont was assembled by a wealthy Belgian industrialist, Raoul Warocqué (1870-1917), an art enthusiast who bought Egyptian, Greco-Roman but also Asian piece of arts (Chinese, Japanese…). He was sent on a diplomatic mission to the Qing Dynasty court of China to announce the accession of King Albert I, a trip that led him also to Japan. As it was the case for Henri Cernuschi and Emile Guimet, he acquired numerous Chinese and Japanese works, all of which were donated to the Belgian state in 1917. Due to a lack of knowledge about these civilizations, the first curators responsible for recording these Asian collections were unable to distinguish between Japanese and Chinese works. Many were poorly catalogued, considered as productions intended for tourists at the end of the 19th century, whereas they were major works of Asian art. As we were preparing the exhibition, we realized that many of the pieces were much older than we had imagined. One of the great rediscoveries was that of the large statue of Avalokitesvara, measuring 5.50 m, which was not Japanese but Chinese, and did not date from 1910, but from the Wanli period (1563-1620) of the Ming dynasty.
%20Bodhisattva%20Maitreya%20(d%C3%A9tail)%2C%20Gandhara%20(Pakistan)%2C%202e%20-%203e%20si%C3%A8cle%2C%20schiste%2C%20acquis%20en.jpg)
Bodhisattva Maitreya (detail),
Gandhara (Pakistan),
2nd - 3rd century,
schist,
acquired 1967
(©Royal Museum of Mariemont)
A study of the provenance of this great statue led you to the famous Asian art dealer C.T. Loo, who initiated the construction of the Pagoda of Paris?
In fact, this statue, made up of three parts, was imported to Europe by the great dealer C.T Loo, who presented it in 1913 at the Cernuschi Museum for an exhibition devoted to Buddhist art. By 1914, it had still not found a buyer, no doubt due to its size and weight, and of course its price. Moreover, it was accompanied by two other figures of praying figures that were acquired separately by other collectors, and of which we have no further trace. Warocqué, who was wealthier than the King of the Belgians and had already established a reputation as a great collector, frequently travelled to Paris to enrich his estate, as he did for the acquisition of this statue.
%20Bodhisattva%20Avalokiteshvara%20aux%20mille%20bras%20et%20aux%20mille%20yeux%2C%20Chine%2C%2016e%2C%20bronze%2C%20legs.jpg)
Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara aux mille bras et aux mille yeux,
China,
16th century,
bronze, Warocqué legacy 1917
(©Royal Museum of Mariemont)
Which work is particularly close to your heart?
As you build up the exhibition, you inevitably develop a personal bond with each of the works. I have a particular affection for the “Laughing Buddha” or “Lucky Buddha”, a large, very caricatured and familiar Buddha. At first, I had some reservations about the quality of this piece, rediscovered at the back of one of the storerooms. But on closer inspection, and especially by comparing it with other works of art, I realized that it was an exceptional masterpiece, both in terms of the quality of the casting and the fine, highly expressive modelling of the face. Finally, the identification was wrong. It's not Budai, the wandering monk revered in Chan Buddhism, but, since he's wearing a crown, Maitreya Boddhisattva of compassion, his body of enjoyment waiting to be reincarnated on earth. By contemplating him, I've developed a real sympathy and tenderness for this piece, which I've come to appreciate over time.
%20Maitreya%20couronn%C3%A9%2C%20Chine%2C%2017e%2C%20bronze%2C%20traces%20de%20dorure%2C%20legs%20Warocqu%C3%A9%201917%20(%C2%A9Mus%C3%A9e%20ro.jpg)
Crowned Maitreya, China,17th century,
bronze, traces of gilding
Warocqué legacy 1917
(©Royal Museum of Mariemont)
Let's get back to you. Could you describe your academic background and your area of specialization in East Asian numismatics?
I am a numismatist and Chinese art historian. I have worked on Chinese coin collectors, a field in which I have developed a keen interest in questions of provenance and circulation of money. Ultimately, I'd love to do a complete study of Raoul Warocqué's numismatic collection. Since I started working at the Royal Museum of Mariemont, I've developed a passion for the Asian arts in this collection. To my mind, it's a perfect example of how Asian art was understood and collected in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. For example, I studied the presence of Chinese bronzes, which are objects of the Chinese scholar, to see how they were integrated into the interiors of Belgian homes.
Do you have any current projects to further enhance the museum's Asian collections ?
The project we're currently working concerns the inventory of Chinese export porcelain, which represents a very important collection of over a thousand pieces. To date, it has never been the subject of exhaustive study. I hope to develop my research in this direction for a publication that will bring together international specialists in the field. On the other hand, we're revamping our permanent tour, in which China predominates, totally eclipsing Korea and Japan. We're thinking about upgrading the Japanese collections, which are much more fragile, since they mainly consist of lacquers and prints that cannot be exhibited for a long period of time.