Beschreibung:

Lot details China, 13th-16th century. The rectangular panel finely painted with two celestial maidens bearing offerings, both with serene downcast expressions, adorned in flowing robes and elaborate headdresses, the background with thick, swirling clouds. Painted in polychrome pigments with details gilded and picked out in gesso relief. Provenance: Belgian trade, by repute acquired from an old Flemish estate. Condition: Very good condition, commensurate with age. Old wear, very minor age cracks with associated old fills and touchups. Framed. Dimensions: Image size 67.3 x 36.3 cm, Size incl. frame 74 x 43 cm 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: Compare a related polychrome stucco fresco fragment with three celestial maidens, 83.1 by 52.5 cm, also dated Yuan to Ming dynasty, at Sotheby’s New York in Important Chinese Art on 17 March 2021, lot 246, sold for USD 15,120. 元明時期多色灰泥壁畫 中國，十三至十六世紀。長方形，彩繪兩位手端供品的仙女，神情安詳，身著飄逸的長袍，頭戴精緻的發飾，背景是祥雲紋。多色顏料繪製，局部描金，石膏浮雕。 來源：比利時古玩市場，據説來自弗蘭芒私人收藏。 品相：狀態極好，與年齡相稱。舊磨損，非常輕微的老化裂縫以及相關的舊填充和修飾。裝裱。 尺寸：畫面 67.3 x 36.3 厘米，總74 x 43 厘米 拍賣結果比較：比較一件彩繪灰泥壁畫，83.1x 52.5 厘米，元明時期，見紐約蘇富比 Important Chinese Art 2021年3月 17日 lot 246, 售價USD 15,120。