An important and very rare Tianlongshan sandstone head and torso of a bodhisattva China, Tianlongshan Caves, the head High Tang period (8th Century), the torso probably slightly earlier, Sui / Early Tang period (late 7th / early 8th Century)

the granulated whitish sandstone very finely carved overall, the large squared head with chubby rounded cheeks flanking a sensuous bud mouth, finely tapered nose and arching brows separating elongated bow-shaped upswept eyes, the hair pulled up into a high spiraling topknot secured with a transverse ribbon, and the thick locks of hair pulled up from the forehead and with an indented lateral groove supporting the tiara of vegetal scrolls flanking a foliate ovoid panel, the restored back of the head now set with flanking bows of the scarves above large simplified ears, the torso carved in sinuous tribhanga with the right hip thrust slightly to one side and the legs standing closely together wrapped in the looping folds of elaborate dhoti skirts, with the bare torso adorned with a double-looping pectoral of further foliate scrolls flanking a long pendant teardrop, the shoulders with stylized triple-flared flattened tabs of 'hair' and undulating trailing locks above armlets and thin draped scarves, with a pair of thin beaded strands of jewels intersecting at a large bulging rosette at the navel before looping against the thighs, the torso truncated above the left arm, with a mortised break at the right elbow, a further old mortise to the left hip, and later restoration replacements below the knees

Zui Tou no Bijutsu (Arts of Sui and Tang period), Osaka Municipal Museum of Art, Osaka, 1976, cat. no. 17.

The torso truncated above the left arm, with a mortised break at the right elbow, a further old mortise to the left hip, and later restoration replacements below the knees. The left foliate hair tie has been restuck (visible on page 23 of the catalogue). Traces of old gesso remain, particularly on the crown and hair.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
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As was very typical of sandstone fragments from the Tianlongshan Caves, the head and torso are undoubtedly matched, with a clear difference in proportions and iconographic motifs. Indeed upon closer inspection, it appears that the torso is slightly earlier in sculptural style and decoration than the head, perhaps by fifty to eighty years; since the smaller proportions, less curvaceous posture and musculature, and emphatic elaborate adornment, all suggest a Sui or early Tang dating, while the expressive and confident voluptuousness of the head is clearly a masterwork of High Tang production of the mid-eighth century.

Such improper and art historically anachronistic association of Tianlongshan fragments was typical of their emergence onto the open market during the first quarter of the twentieth century, as complete figures were obviously more commercial than orphaned parts, and the 'restorers' working for C.T. Loo & Cie., or Yamanaka & Co., may not have had access to dispersals from the same caves at the same times. For example, a major seated bodhisattva torso recently sold Christie's New York, 26th March 26 2003, lot 148, was clearly identified as the right seated bodhisattva in Cave 21, but with an associated head; its original head being preserved in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, and illustrated Hai-Wai Yi-Chen. Chinese Art in Overseas Collections. Buddhist Sculpture II, Taipei, 1990, no.127. Indeed, the head of the present lot also bears a strong similarity in its treatment of the facial proportions, topknot, and foliate scrolling tiara with the Metropolitan head, and may be from Cave 21, or another cave executed during the High Tang period, such as Caves 4, 14 or 18.

The most significant museum holdings of Tianlongshan fragments are in the Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Harvard University, Cambridge, the Nezu Institute of Art, Tokyo, and the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, and the appearance at auction of the present figure, which ought to be considered two separate but important Tianlongshan fragments, is extremely important. The evocative pensive quality of the head, so strongly suggestive of thoughtful composure and meditative power, represents the pinnacle of 'High Tang' sculpture for which the Tianlongshan site was renowned, executed during the reign of the Tang emperor, Xuanzong, from 714 to 740 AD. Perhaps even slightly more art historically important, and certainly much rarer, the earlier torso reveals the clear continuity this Tang 'International Style' had from the iconographic vocabulary of the Northern Qi and Sui. The triple-lappet flared lobes of stylized 'hair' on both shoulders of the torso and the ropes of jewels intersecting at a high foliate boss at the belly are both early features, found on bodhisattva figures in Caves 8, 10 and 16, which were executed in the mid-sixth century during the Northern Qi dynasty; compare two bodhisattvas illustrated in Tianlongshan Shiku, Beijing, 2003, fig.80, pp.105 (east bodhisattva, Cave 8), and fig.105, pp.118 (west bodhisattva, Cave 10). However the present figure clearly represents an intermediate stage, perhaps executed in the late-seventh or early-eighth century, as the anonymous sculptor has clearly rejected the rigid hieratic body postures found in those early caves, and instead attempted to impart more volume and movement in the subtle tribhanga thrust of the hips and the more convincing weight of the drapery, particulary to the knotted apron lying distinctly over the skirts. In contrast, the bejeweled adornment would have been even further minimalized, to perhaps a scarf or two with a lone necklace with teardrop pendant, to truly match the style and period of the head; compare ibid, fig.124, pp.125 (east bodhisattva, Cave 14) and fig.200, pp.159 (east bodhisattva, Cave 18).