Jakabffy Imre szerk.: Az Iparművészeti Múzeum Évkönyvei 13. (Budapest, 1971)

HOPP FERENC MÚZEUM - MUSÉE FERENC HOPP - Imre, Gabriella: Kuan-yin with Fish

GABRIELLA IMRE KUAN-YIN WITH FISH In l!)(ií) our museum was enriched by a beautiful, finely elaborated wooden Kuan-yin statuette that is beyond doubt a good and interesting representative of the late period of the Chinese Buddhist sculpture. Its rendering — with the fish-basket in hand — and interesting technical accomplishment raises a number of problems whose settling is complicated by the fact that such late works of the Buddhist art have hardly been in the centre of interest until lately. Our Kuan-yin statuette (figs. 1—2) was carved of one piece of a good quality bard wood in contraposlal position. The head is slightly turned lo ihe left and bowed, the shoulders lean back and turn to the right. the hips, slightly pushed forward, and the arms held In front elongate the line of the shoulders while the pleats of the garment and the left foot showing from under the garment correspond to the position of the bead. The quiet face is brightened by a lender smile. The face is oval-shaped, the eyelids protrude, the crescents of the brows continue in the line of the nose. Its glance is directed downwards, its upper lip is slightly pushed forward. In accordance with the hairdo of the Chinese middle class its hair is dressed In a high knot on the top of the bead and is decorated with a hair ornament. Two narrow curls cover the upper part of the elongated ears. Two heavy plaits of hair fall on the shoulders, both are divided into three on the upper part of the arms. In contrast with the dignified peaceful quietness of the face the garment is very dynamic put into rhythmically wavering rich pleats. The long undergarment covers the whole body showing only the finely carved feel. The light undergarment widens below and touches the earth with a dynamic line. The hem of the garment is decorated with a stucco-like ornament made of leaves and flowers. The decoration is repeated on the hem of the upper garment reaching to the knees. The showing undergarment is decorated with a siring of pearls divided into three on the hem. ihe middle part forms a flower. There is a wide bell on the waist decorated with leaf and flower motives that together with the under and upper garment gives a threefold proportion to the statuette. Below ihe bell there is a ribbon whose ends hang down. The decoration of the loose sleeves is different, geometric. The ends of the scarf thrown on the shoulders and arms do not fit tight to the undergarment but similarly to the ends of the upper garment stand out. in a dynamic wing-like curve. The finely carved right hand is holding up the front of the garment, the two middle fingers are bent, the forefinger and the little finger are stretched out. The fingers have an elongated form. In the left hand held by the thumb, middle and ring finger there is the handle of a basket half of which is broken. From ihe basket the head and tail of a fish are showing. 10 Iparművészeti Múzeum Évkönyve 145