A RARE ALBUM OF TWELVE BODHI LEAF PAINTINGS, 19TH CENTURY China. Each bodhi leaf skillfully hand-painted with exceptional detail depicting individual portraits of Qing court members, including a royal couple, each seated on a dragon throne, dressed in opulent robes decorated with a dragon emblem, and holding a ruyi scepter. Another bodhi leaf with an imperial bodyguard wearing a hat with peacock feather, holding arrows in his left and a bow in his right.

Provenance: From the collection of Dr. S.R.S. Laing, Hampshire, United Kingdom. A copy of an original letter from Christie, Manson and Woods Ltd., dated 19 November 1976, addressed to Dr. S.R.S. Laing, dating the present lot to the 19^th century, and signed by hand with 'Christie, Manson + Woods', accompanies this lot. In this letter, Christie's thanks the potential consignor for sending in his album (the present lot) and offers to put it up for auction.
Condition: Very good condition with some old wear, the dried Bodhi leaves with very minor age-related losses and tears, the paper with foxing, the pages loosened. The fabric on the album cover with minor old wear, soiling and loose threads.

Dimensions: Size 24.3 x 17.5 cm

Further depictions include a diplomat dressed in blue robes and an official's hat, a military official in armor, noble ladies, and courtiers. Mounted within a silk cover decorated with bands of wan symbols within hexagons. (2)

The bodhi tree, also known as the ficus religiosa, is one of the most sacred trees in Buddhism. Special religious significance is given to this form of leaf painting because the Historical Buddha Shakyamuni (circa 563-483 B.C.E.), also known as Siddhartha Gautama, obtained enlightenment under the bodhi tree at Bodhgaya in India. Many temples throughout China planted Ficus religiosa, a tree known for its great size and longevity, and a tradition of leaf art emerged for copying sutras or painting Buddhist images.

Auction result comparison:
Type: Related
Auction: Christie's Hong Kong, 29 May 2019, lot 2702
Price: HKD 250,000 or approx. EUR 32,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: An Album of Bodhi Leaf Paintings, 18^TH-19^TH century
Expert remark: Compare the exceptional quality of the bodhi leaves. Note that the paintings depict Buddhist motifs.


十九世紀菩提葉彩繪人物圖冊頁十二幅
中國。此畫冊以菩提樹葉為繪製素材媒介，設色描繪清朝官員、將軍及宮婦肖像。

來源：英國漢普郡Dr. S.R.S. Laing收藏。隨附1976年11月19日佳士得、Manson和Woods公司寫給Dr. S.R.S. Laing的信，上面注明此冊頁來自十九世紀。在信中，佳士得還感謝Dr. S.R.S. Laing把冊頁寄給他們，並提出將其拍賣。
品相：品相良好，有一些磨損，乾燥的菩提葉有非常輕微的老化損失和撕裂，紙張有褐變，頁面鬆散。專輯封面上的面料有輕微的舊磨損、髒污和鬆線。

尺寸：24.3 x 17.5厘米

菩提樹是原生於印度的一種大葉棕櫚科樹木，2500年前因釋迦摩尼在菩提樹下證道，故被視為智慧之樹，在佛教中被稱為聖樹。菩提葉呈心形，葉脈紋理精美，是“大徹大悟”的象徵。古印度每個寺院都種有菩提，落下的葉子被僧侶視為聖物，在造紙技術還未普及前，印度僧人將其與貝葉樹的葉子一起，製成梵夾（即用貝葉重疊，以板木夾兩端，用繩串結）用於寫經，後世將菩提樹和貝葉樹葉子所書寫和繪製的佛教經籍和圖像統稱為“貝葉經、貝葉畫”。

拍賣結果比較：
形制：相近
拍賣：香港佳士得，2019年5月29日，lot 2702
價格：HKD 250,000（相當於今日EUR 32,500）
描述：十八至十九世紀貝多羅葉羅漢冊
專家評論：比較菩提樹葉的特殊品質。請注意此畫冊描繪的是佛教圖案。