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X-RARE Chinese Jade Statue of Buddha's Foot & Dragon King's Journey Immortality For Sale


X-RARE Chinese Jade Statue of Buddha's Foot & Dragon King's Journey Immortality
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X-RARE Chinese Jade Statue of Buddha's Foot & Dragon King's Journey Immortality:
$112500.00

ANCIENT CIVILIZATIONS

Artifacts, Antiques, & Fine Collectibles



An Extremely Rare Chinese Jade Statue of Buddha’s Foot

Buddha’s Right Foot & Chinese Imperial Dragon

An Ancient Jade Fusion Masterpiece of Buddhist & Chinese Art

Inscribed & Painted Chinese Offering Characters withTranslation

c. Han Dynasty/Warring States Period

206 BC—220 AD

“In the Presence of Buddha andOur Ancestors, the Soul of This Wise and Just Dragon Emperor,

Who Spreads InfiniteLight like the Enlightened One, Bends His Head Forward and

Runs Faster and FasterTowards the Heavens (Tian)and Eternal Life.”

~ Expanded Translation by WDH, Ancient Civilizations




SUMMARY

·Length: 8.21” (209mm)

·Width: 3.49” (89mm)

·Height: 4.17” (106mm)

·Weight: 3.65 lb. (1.66kg)

Condition: This nephrite jade statue of Buddha’s foot isin particularly good, museum quality condition with no repairs orrestorations. The once green jade hasturned a wonderful shade of saddle-brown with orange highlights from the ironand manganese in the jade. This patina should never be removed, because thenatural patina is one way to identify an authentic Han Dynasty jade. It has mild pitting and differentialweathering that is consistent with an ancient Chinese jade statue that is about2,000-years-old.



Provenance/History: This jade statue of Buddha's Foot was purchased from an old, private collection in China that was relocated to Hong Kong. This is the first time it has been for sale in the United States. This is the first time that the ancient, pictographic characters have been translated into English. If you are reading this, you will be some of the first persons in the world to read the translation in over 2,000 years. To date, this statue has not appeared in any publication--at least to my knowledge.

This jade statue was likely made during China’s Han Dynasty about 2,000-years-agoor perhaps a bit earlier during the Warring States Period (475—221 BC). SinceBuddha lived in the 4th BC, this is an incredibly earlyrepresentation of Buddhism.

My researchsuggest that currently the oldest known Buddha footprint, dating to 600 AD, islocated at Sar Morakot, Thailand. Therefore, this jade statue may be oneof the earliest known representation of Buddha in the World!

Buddha’sfootprints, or in this case a statue of his foot, are meant to remind all thatBuddha was present on Eearth and left a spiritual 'path' to be followed that ledto Enlightenment and the cessation of all suffering. Buddha's footprints are usually depicted withthe toes of all one length and with a dharmachakra (wheel) at thecenter. This statue has neither of theseattributes, which again suggests that it is an incredibly early specimen.

Inancient China, the large, single-crested Dragon carved at the ankle representsan emperor/king, as they were revered as the Sons of Dragons and no one coulduse that image except them—as the punishment for such a transgression wasdeath. The depiction of single-crested Dragons is also an ancient rendering, asby about 500 AD until present times, all Imperial Dragons were depicted withdouble crests.

NOTE: This object is unconditionally guaranteed authenticand will come with a COA from Ancient Civilizations. It has been legallyimported to the United States., and is legal to purchase, sell, and own under U.S.Statute Title 19, Chapter 14, Code 2611, Convention on Cultural Property.

DETAILS


This unique,3.65 lb. (1.66kg) jade statue of Buddha’s foot was likely made during China’sHan Dynasty about 2,000-years-ago or perhaps a bit earlier during the WarringStates Period (475—221 BC). Since Buddhalived in the 4th BC, this is an incredibly early representation ofBuddhism.

For the first400 years after his death, Buddha was represented by symbols alone such as hisfootprint or the Wheel of Dharma. Formalstatues of the "Enlightened One" were not made until the 1stcentury AD.

The previously untranslatedinscription on this jade foot about 2,000-years-ago, was likely a centralconcept and meant not only to describe religious Enlightenment, but also to strivefor ideas of right, good, and of one's duty toward mankind and the humancommunity. Jade was thought to be eternal and was considered by these early Chinese practitionersof Buddha to be symbolic of him.

Located on theneck of the Imperial Dragon is a suspension or decoration hole that isclassified as a “double-bevel hole” and is period correct in every way. The inside walls of the hole show the ancientgrowth of micro-crystalline jade crystals and thick mineral deposits ofiron. Microscopic examination of the cutlines on the edges of the holes show it was drilled by hand, with a slow RPM drill.

The ancientChinese found that Nephrite Jade could be worked by using quartz or garnetsand, polished with bamboo or jade dust, and even drilled with hollow, animalbone drills that used a slurry made of jade dust and water as theabrasive. The holes would be drilledfrom both sides, and one can still see the ridge in the center where the twoholes intersected.

It is ExceedinglyRare to see the fusion in one jade statue that symbolizes the fusion of bothBuddhism and the supreme power on Earth of a Chinese emperor, who was the Sonof Dragons, as depicted on this statue with a single-crestedDragon head.

English Translationof Chinese Pictographs & Characters

We know that allwritten languages developed from primitive picture-writing. Others went the wayof phonetic alphabets and nearly total abstraction. Chinese pursued a differentcourse as its evolution was from pictograms to ideograms and phonograms. Forexample, the original character for a Dragon (Lung) was a simple,incised drawing of a Dragon, several of which are on this jade statue.

this jade offeringwas presented by the sons of the deceased at a temple ceremony to honor adeparted Emperor/King. It is likely thatthe ceremony was held during a Rising Sun, as the largest character cut intothe jade in low relief represents an man carrying a bright torch, symbolic of Buddhaas the Enlightened One. Ritualceremonies were also held during Setting Suns, but this amulet appears to havebeen presented to Buddha, the Enlightened One, and the Ancestors during aRising Sun.

The previously unpublished and untranslatedinscription on this jade foot of Buddha is about 2,000-years-ago, and waslikely a central concept and meant not only to describe religious Enlightenment,but also refers to the actions of the deceased emperor to strive for the ideasof righteousness, goodness, and his duty toward mankind and the human communityon Earth.

This statuecontains one, very-large, Neolithic Chinese pictographic character in OracleBone Script that was carved in low relief and incorporated into the design ofthis statue.

I estimate thatthere are an additional 50+ tiny characters that document the offerings made bythe Sons and Grandsons on behalf of their departed emperor father/grandfather. Some of these characters are as small as 2—4mm, and were meant only for the eyes of the Ancestors.

Note: I assume allresponsibility for the English translation and transcription of the ancientChinese graphic characters. Furthermore,I prohibit the further dissemination of this information in any written, video,or electronic format without my expressed, written approval. Thank You!

“Yao”—Thelarge, compound character on the instep of Buddha’s foot can literally betranslated as: “A wise and just man whose Soul carries a reed torch and whobends his head forward as his Soul runs faster and faster towards the Heavens (Tian)—toeternal life. He carries a reed torch asbright as the Sun (“Ri” in Chinese); therefore, I believe this characterrepresents Buddha, the Enlightened One.

The Han did notuse oil or bee’s wax lamps—only reed torches.The souls of the dead were described as “Bright” or “Ming” in Chinese—aword that suggests the Bright Souls in tombs did not need the benefit ofeternal light from a lamp. (Wieger, pg.160)

So, byextension, the “soul of a man who spreads light” or the Enlightened One “whorises above other men and is seen by all as the flame rises above the lamp andshines out to all.” {Wilder, # 210}

Just above theman running with a torch, is a character that looks sort of like the letter“L.” This is normally the symbol of thefootprint of the heel of an Ancestor’s foot that shows he is present for theceremony and will accept the offerings that are presented to him. But because it is on top of Buddha’s footwith an Imperial Dragon head above it, I believe it refers to the Emperor’sdesire to follow Buddha’s teaching to achieve Enlightenment.

Therefore, myexpanded, literal translation of this precious, jade amulet that documents thesoul of an Emperor as he begins his cyclic journey to eternal life in theHeavens is as follows:

“In the Presence of Buddha andOur Ancestors, the Soul of This Wise and Just Dragon Emperor,

Who Spreads InfiniteLight like the Enlightened One, Bends His Head Forward and

Runs Faster and FasterTowards the Heavens (Tian)and Eternal Life.”

NOTE: There are also much smaller pictographic charactersincised, pecked, and painted into all sides of this jade statue, and even somescratched into both sides of the Dragon’s center crest, under his neck, andeven on the surface of his tear-drop shaped eyes! AMAZING!!

I estimate that there are approximately 50+ of these tiny characters. Some as small as 2—4 mm, were meant only for the eyes of the Ancestors and not meant for humaneyes who were not considered worthy. Thecharacters are extremely small and faint, especially the ones painted twomillennia ago with black ink, but I can see and translate the characters forthe following pictographs:

Dragons

Man

Sons

Grandsons

Ancestors divingfrom Heaven to accept the offerings.

Ancestor’sFootprint

A Man with hishand raised with a flint knife that has killed an animal for sacrifice.

SacrificedBeasts

Andapproximately 40+ other pictographs and characters.

Jade was highlyprized by these early civilizations in China, and it was thought to havepositive energy to drive away evil spirits and bring good luck and fortune toall who wore a piece on their person--in life and in death. Jade was alsobelieved to be a portal or messenger that could carry prayers to Heaven andsend messages to those on Earth from departed ancestors and Gods in Heaven.

Jade was usednot only to make ceremonial weapons and tools, but was also carved by someNeolithic peoples into ornaments and small animals. Discoveries in northeastChina have demonstrated that peoples in Liaoning province, belonging to what isknown today as the Hongshan culture (c. 3500 BC), carved animal figures andother ornaments from jade.

This ancientamulet is a unique work of art that is truly a museum quality piece of greathistorical significance to both the Chinese and Buddhists.


TheSignificance of Buddha footprints or the Buddhapada

Courtesyof Wikipedia

Inearly Buddhist art, the historical Buddha was rarely shown in humanform—instead, his presence was conveyed by a blooming lotus, a pair offootprints, a spoked wheel, or a perched deer in stone relief. The reason? North Indian Buddhist communitiesfeared that if they represented the Buddha as a man, people would startworshipping him like a god.

Buddhismis the world's fourth-largest religion with over 520 million followers, or over7% of the global population, known as Buddhists. An Indian religion, Buddhismencompasses a variety of traditions, beliefs and spiritual practices largelybased on original teachings attributed to the Buddha and resulting interpretedphilosophies. Buddhism originated in Ancient India as a Sramana traditionsometime between the 6th and 4th centuries BCE, spreading through much of Asia.Two major extant branches of Buddhism are generally recognized by scholars:Theravada (Pali: "The School of the Elders") and Mahayana (Sanskrit:"The Great Vehicle").

Thefootprint of Buddha is an auspicious Buddhist symbol, and is considered sacredin Hinyana Buddhism in India as well other Buddhist countries. It is still worshiped at Buddhist temples inBodh Gaya and Nagarjuni Konda. The footprints are meant to remind all that Buddha waspresent on earth and left a spiritual 'path' to be followed.

EarlyBuddhism to Chinese thought during the Warring Statesperiod (ca. 450 BC–221 BC).

Chinesereligious beliefs were in a nearly constant state of flux, if not turmoil,during the Warring States Period, which began shortly after the death ofConfucius. Ideas related to the Early Buddhism attested in the fragments ofPyrrho and Megasthenes are clearly present in Warring States writings,especially Early Taoist texts, including the Laotzu, the Chuangtzu, as well asthe anonymous Jade Yoga Inscription. Some of the Early Taoist material isapproximately contemporaneous with Pyrrho and Megasthenes. It seems that thismaterial's appearance in China is connected to the fact that Central Asia,including Bactria and Gandhāra, was part of the Achaemenid Persian Empire downto Alexander's invasion and conquest of the region in 330–325 BC.

Statuesof the "Enlightened One" were not made until the 1st century CE;before that, Buddha was represented by aniconic symbols such as his footprintor the Dharma wheel. Like otherGandharan, or Greco-Buddhist art, the wheel shows influence from ancient Greekart, as the region had been part of the Greco-Bactrian Kingdom established byAlexander the Great.

References

· The World of the BuddhaFootprintby Dr. Waldemar C. Sailer.

· Greek Buddha: Pyrrho'sEncounter with Early Buddhism in Central Asia, Christopher I. Beckwith, Princeton,2018

· Masterpieces of BuddhistArt,December 2, 2015, Hong Kong Sale 3475

· Wikipedia and confirmed sales from private sale houses in China, HK, and USA.

NOTE: This is a stunning, historical Buddhist masterpiece of ancient Chinese jade carvingand worthy of the finest collections. Weprefer that this rare and extremely expensive artifact be a “pick-up”item, and suggest that the new buyer make arrangements for pick up and/orshipping at their own liability and expense.


Please examine the macro photos carefully as they are part of the description.

The ruler and AA battery and stand is not part of the sale, just included to give you a better perspective.

And please ask any questions before you buy.


International Buyers are responsible for all import duties, import taxes, shipping charges and insurance costs.

International Returns are NOT accepted.

Note: Please ask any questions you may have before you offer! Thanks for Looking!



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Images © photo12.com-Pierre-Jean Chalençon
A Traveling Exhibition from Russell Etling Company (c) 2011