A DRY LACQUER HEAD OF A LUOHAN SOUTHERN SONG DYNASTY |

the hollow head sensitively executed, the expressive face with a prominent brow above almond-shaped eyes, wide open and inset with black glass bead pupils, the nose slightly hooked above the straight mouth, applied overall with brown lacquer flaked in parts to reveal the hemp layers below 

Nagatani, Inc., Chicago, 2nd November 1959. 
Collection of Stephen Junkunc, III (d. 1978). 

The hemp core is stable and firm, but the dry lacquer layers on the exterior have lifting, losses, cracks, and some discoloration all commensurate with age (as indicated in the illustrations).
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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Naturalistic and realistic qualities in Buddhist sculpture were particularly sought-after during the Song dynasty. The 'dry lacquer' technique, as seen on the present head,  lends itself to expressive sculpture, and was capable of producing religious sculpture with unprecedented levels of realism that no other material or technique could evoke.  The dry lacquer process involved first sculpting the figure in clay over a stick-like wooden model. Patches of lacquered hemp were then pasted onto the clay. These were then covered with further lacquer layers, which could be sculpted in greater detail and carved to give expressive qualities. Finally the surface was painted in polychrome pigments. Once completed, the original construction of wood and clay were hollowed out and removed, leaving only the fragile skin of hemp and lacquer. The number of extant Song dynasty religious images made in this complex and sophisticated technique is relatively low, largely due to the time-consuming and demanding production process as well the vulnerability of material. 

Compare a related dry lacquer head of a luohan in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, formerly in the collection of Charles B. Hoyt, included in the exhibition The Charles B. Hoyt Collection. Memorial Exhibition, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, 1952, cat. no. 533. A slightly later head, attributed to the Liao - Jin period, in the Nelson Atkins Museum, Kansas, is illustrated in Laurence Sickman and Alexander Soper, The Art and Architecture of China, Baltimore, 1960, pl. 82.