Vallin Galleries, Connecticut, mid-1990s.

Christie's New York, 15t💮h September 2011, lot 1367.

Vallin Galleries，康乃狄克州，1990年代中期

紐約佳士得2011年9月15日，編號1367

The current sculpture of Vairocana is of exceptional size, among the largest bronze Buddhist sculptures created in the early to mid-Ming dynasty. The power of its presence, with its mighty solidly cast body seated perfectly balanced with hands held in uttarabodhi mudra, still resonates today. When it was originally created for an important temple, it would have struck aw𝓡e into the minds of devotees.

Vairocana is considered a celestial or primordial Buddha and represents the dharma body of the historical Buddha. Vairocana is also seen as the embodiment of the Buddhist concept of sunyata, emptiness, and is one of the Five Dhyani Buddhas, which represent the five qualities of the Buddha. In this respect, Vairocana represents the Buddha's all-encompassing wisdom. This concept is represented by the uttrabodhimudra displayed by the present figure. This gesture represents supreme enlightenment and together with the vajramudra and dharmachakramudra is one that is specifically assoc📖iated with Vairocana.

The present figure of Vairocana is one of the larger ones still extant. Timothy Brook, The Confusions of Pleasure: Commerce and Culture in Ming China, Berkeley, 1999, pp. 155-156, notes that during the Ming dynasty bronze Buddha statues were often seized by the authorities and melted down for weapons and coinage. A larger bronze figure of Vairocana dating to the 16th-17th century, reportedly found in Shijiazhuang, Hebei, is currently in the collection of the Royal Ontario Museum (accession no. 921.31.30), from the George Crofts Collect𒁏ion, donated by D.A. Dunlap. At 271cm including lotus base, it is of greater size, but comparison of the two faces clearly shows that the current sculpture is earlier in date, its facial features and robes less sharply defined, with a greater freedom of s🥃tyle in the articulation of its expression.

Other smaller Ming dynasty gilt-bronze figures of Vairocana were sold in these rooms, 25th April 2004, lot 333, and 8th April 2011, lot 3048. Two other related figures were sold at Christie's Hong Kong, 1st June 2011, lot 3770, anꦫd Christie's New York, 15th September 201🦹1, lot 1383.

大日如來佛坐像，寧靜威嚴，壯碩懾人，屬🔯早明至明中期尺寸最ꦿ巨大銅製佛教造像。佛身偉岸，銅質精純，仍見厚實漆層殘存，整體壯闊沉穩，細節巧緻靈動，線條簡練精妙，雙手作毗盧印，此像原應供於當朝重要寺院，雄偉慈悲，震攝人心。

大日如來佛是法身佛，為五方佛之一，位居中央，象徵佛教教義中五大的「空」，換言之，他代表佛的無上智𒀰慧，如本像雙手毗盧印，意謂開悟，即與此對應。此尊大日如來佛坐像為存世極少數大型明代佛教造像，Timothy Brook，《The Confusions of Pleasure: Commerce and Culture in Ming China》，柏克萊，1999年，頁155、156，提及十六至十七世紀間，明代朝廷大量熔煉銅製佛像，以再製兵器、銅幣，得以無損傳世之大型造像，難能可貴，稀若晨星。 多倫多皇家安大略博物館藏一尊大型大日如來佛像（藏品編號：921.31.30），據說出自河北石家莊，曾為 George Crofts 舊藏，D.A. Dunlap 捐贈予博物館，含蓮座高度共271公分，尺寸巨碩，然兩兩相比，觀其法相風格特徵，顯然本次拍賣大日如來佛之年代更早，博物館藏品之面容、衣袍線條亦不如此像精練俐落。

香港蘇富比曾售出其他尺寸較小的鎏金銅大日如來佛像，如2004年4月25日，編號333；2011年💫4月8日，編號3048。另二類例，一售於香港佳士得，2011年6月1日，編號3770；另一尊售於紐約佳士得，2011年9月15日，編號138♏3。