An unusual grey limestone 'Thousand Buddha' pillar fragment China, Five Dynasties / Northern Song dynasty

of octagonal section, the flat facetted sides carved with three registers of seated Buddhas within ogival lobed niches, each Buddha set upon a lotus base of splayed inverted petals, the hands and feet in dhyanasana but hidden within the folds of the monastic robes, the squared heads with meditative features frames by a lobed mandorla of conforming shape with a peaked circular halo, wood stand

The base has scratches and minor abrasions. The stone has scattered minor scratches and scuffs, minor cracks, and small chips. Rubbing to the faces. Scattered areas of brown residue.
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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The present fragment was most likely a pillar-section from a roofed pagoda or tower-form stupa, usually constructed in sections including lotus plinths and projecting eaved roofs. Given the iconography on the present section, it was most likely a pagoda containing representation of 'The Thousand Buddhas', dedicated by a prominent devotee to gain Buddhist merit. Compare a related fragmentary pagoda stupa, with separate sections forming the projecting roofs and very similar hexagonal pillar-sections, adorned with lions and guardian kings, and an important dedication to the 'Master of the Song Le Temple' dated 1053 AD, exhibited 'Ancient Chinese Sculptural Treasures. Carvings in Stone', Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts, 1998, cat.no.65, and discussed pp.42-8. A more rudimentary octagonal pillar in the British Museum, London, is illustrated Hai-Wai Yi-Chen. Chinese Art in Overseas Collections. Buddhist Sculpture I, Taipei, 1986, no.142.