A GREY LIMESTONE SEATED FIGURE OF MAITREYA Northern Wei Dynasty (2)PROPERTY OF A GENTLEMAN 紳士藏品A GREY LIMESTONE SEATED FIGURE OF MAITREYANorthern Wei DynastyThe slender figure seated with right leg crossed over the left knee, with one finger of the right hand pensively touching the cheek, the left hand resting on the crossed leg and held in karana mudra, dressed in long flowing robes draping the lower body in soft pleats, the narrow face with contemplative expression surmounted by the large ushnisha, stand. 31cm (12 1/4in) high. (2).北魏 石灰岩雕思惟菩薩坐像Provenance:Hidenari Terasaki (1900-1951) Collection, thence by descentBonhams New York, 19 March 2018, lot 8028An Asian private collection Published:G.Terasaki, Bridge to the Sun, Chapel Hill, 2017, p.204來源:日本駐美外交官寺崎英成（1900-1951）舊藏，後由家族傳承紐約邦瀚斯，2018年3月19日，拍品編號8028亞洲私人收藏出版:G.Terasaki，《Bridge to the Sun》，教堂山，2017年，頁204Based on the posture, this figure is believed to represent Maitreya, the buddha of the future. Upon his return to the earth to preach the teachings of the Buddha after a period of great turmoil where the Buddha's teachings have been forgotten. He is Shakyamuni's successor and his return heralds a period of great peace.The pose, first conceived in India and later transmitted to China, represents Maitreya in deep contemplation, while at the same time, because one foot is on the ground, he is ready to stand up and take his place as the buddha of the future. The karana mudra subdues negativity, dispelling impure thoughts and other obstacles to enlightenment.The Northern Wei dynasty was a period of political turbulence and intense social and cultural changes. During such tumultuous times a messianic figure such as Maitreya held great appeal and Maitreya was one of the most popular bodhisattvas during this early phase of Chinese Buddhism. See a closely related Northern Wei figure of Maitreya in the Rietberg Museum, illustrated by Osvald Siren in Chinese Sculptures in the Van de Heydt Collection, Zurich, 1957, pl.11 and 12.Hidenari Terasaki, the transcriber of Emperor Hirohito's famous Dokuhakuroku, sold in our New York rooms, Voices of the 20th Century, lot 1254, was a fluent English-speaking elite Japanese diplomat who played a pivotal role in relationships between his country and the United States before and after the WWI. Married to an American in 1931 and followed postings in Shanghai, Havana and Beijing, was appointed in 1941 head of Western Intelligence and transferred to Washington, where, despite his position, he is thought to have tried to make a desperate failed attempt to have a cable sent directly from President Roosevelt to the Emperor, appealing for peace. In 1946, when he assumed the special post of 'Liason Officer to the Imperial Household'. He had the responsibility of interpreting for Emperor Hirohito and advising him on his dealings with General Douglas MacArthur (Herbert P. Bix, "The Showa Emperor's 'Monologue' and the Problem of War Responsibility", The Journal of Japanese Studies, 18/2 Summer 1992, p.357).石灰石質，高浮雕並圓雕半跏思惟像，表現彌勒菩薩思索貌，菩薩頭戴高冠，面帶微笑，右手食指抵面頰，身披長袍，右腳趺疊與左腿。 半跏思惟像流行於古印度貴霜王朝犍陀羅地區和東亞的佛像藝術，十六國到北齊、北周時期(約公元304年至公元581年)流行於中土。其形象結合半跏坐姿和思惟相，表現悉達多太子或彌勒菩薩，一般左足支地、右腿盤起橫放在左大腿上(半跏坐)，以手支頤呈現出思索狀態(思惟)。或表現佛祖身為悉達多太子時苦思人生哲理及至開悟時的情形，或代表為彌勒菩薩思索貌。此形象至隋唐逐漸少見。北魏時期社會波動而佛教興盛，彌勒菩薩音譯為梅呾利耶、梅怛儷藥，是釋迦牟尼佛的繼任者，將在未來娑婆世界降生成佛，成為娑婆世界的下一尊佛，代表慈悲、未來與光明，故此彌勒菩薩在動蕩的北魏香火尤為繁盛。可比較蘇黎世瑞特堡博物館藏一件北魏思惟菩薩像，見Osvald Siren著，《Chinese Sculptures in the Van de Heydt Collection》，蘇黎世，1957年，圖版11及12。寺崎英成（1900-1951）為日本裕仁天皇口述自傳《昭和天皇獨白錄》的轉錄者，日本著名外交官。他1927年進入外務省工作，1931年即1941年任職於美國華盛頓日本大使館，擔任一等書記官，其間亦在上海、北京任職。日美太平洋戰爭爆發前夕奔走致力於美國羅斯福總統與日本天皇之間的直接交流，1942年被交換回國。戰後在東京擔任裕仁天皇和麥克阿瑟將軍之間的聯絡人。