PRINCE ZHUANG (POSSIBLY BOGGODO, 1650-1723)

Warrior God of Heaven

Details

PRINCE ZHUANG (POSSIBLY BOGGODO, 1650-1723)
Warrior God of Heaven
Hanging scroll, ink and colour on silk
174 x 91.2 cm. (68 ½ x 35 7/8 in.)
Entitled and signed, with one seal of the artist

Further details

Preach with a Brush:
A Brief Introduction to Ming and Qing Religious Paintings and Calligraphy

Of Chinese origin, Taoism advocates living simply and in harmony with nature. Together with Buddhism and Confucianism, they relied heavily on paintings and scriptures for preaching its devotees. By the Ming and Qing dynasties, these three doctrines were regarded as mutually complementary. Taoist paintings of the period were characterized in the rendition of deities, like Warrior God of Heaven (Lot 858). Amidst swirling clouds of rainbow colours, this finely-dressed young warrior with a halo is holding a three-pointed spear in his right hand, followed by his servants equipped with a bow and a flying banner respectively. Compare to a very similar composition of the same title, now in the Capital Museum in Beijing (Fig. 1).

From the Buddhist perspective, paintings and calligraphy belong to Silpakarma-vidya, one of the five types of knowledge and wisdom. Over time monks and laymen painted and practised calligraphy and Buddhist-themed works became more sophisticated during the Song and Yuan dynasties.

This season Christie’s Hong Kong is offering five Buddhist works of the Ming and Qing period. First is a late work by Monk Jifei, Sutra (Lot 862). Manuscripts by monks have always been very popular amongst collectors and Sutra exemplifies the beauty and charm of calligraphy of the Ming period. Besides, Seven-character Poem in Running Script by Bada Shanren (Lot 863) demonstrates moist and vigorous brushstrokes that is unique amongst his contemporaries. In addition, the album of Guanyin, Luohans and Sutra by Wen Zhaozhi (Lot 859) is a gem. Meticulously rendered in golden ink on blue paper typically used in Buddhist art, the doctrines are vividly presented. Further, The Great Cundi Bodhisattva (Lot 860) is a work of Tibetan Buddhism origin. The Mother of Buddha found at the centre of the painting saves and purifies all living creatures. Lastly Jin Nong’s Buddha (Lot 861) is characterised by the simple brushstrokes and refreshing colours and complemented with calligraphy by the artist.

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Lot Essay

Note:
This work is probably one of the paintings sets commissioned by the first Prince Zhuang, Boggodo (1650-1723) and made by the Imperial workshops for the Buddhist Water and Land Ritual (Shuilu Zhai). Boggodo was the great-grandson of Nurhachi, the founder of the Qing dynasty, the eldest son of Sose and the brother of Emperor Kangxi.

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