A RARE SANDSTONE STELE OF A BODHISATTVA NORTHERN QI – NORTHERN ZHOU DYNASTY |

the fine pale grey granular stone well carved to depict a soft serene expression, highlighted with thin lips tenderly lifted at the corners to form a beatific smile above a rounded chin, the long nose rising to the eyes defined by crescent-shaped lines below gracefully arched brows, all framed by a pair of pendulous earlobes and neatly swept up hair, the torso further depicted adorned with beaded jewellery, wood stand

Yamanaka & Company, Osaka, 1928.

Shina kotou kinseki tenkan [Exhibition of Chinese classical ceramics, bronzes and stone sculptures], Yamanaka Shokai/Osaka Art Club, Osaka, 1928, cat. no. 231.
Silk Road Harukanaru tabi ten. Chugoku hen [A long journey on the Silk Road: China], Sekai Isan Plaza / Sekai Isan Gallery, Tokyo, 2005.

The sculpture is preserved in good condition with just minor areas of restoration including a 2cm tip of the left ear and the bridge of the nose.
"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. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

This finely carved stele, which appears to depict the bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara, is a legacy of the outstanding era of Buddhist stone carving in the 6th century. It has been preserved in unusually good condition, with the sensitively carved head exuding an expression of serene contemplation. This period of instability saw a proliferation of dynasties and different traditions, with increased communication contributing to the transmission of Buddhist concepts and artistic styles across China. This had the concurrent effect of diversifying the visual vocabulary of each region of the empire.  It is difficult to pinpoint the exact period when it was created, but from the style of the expression and texture of the sandstone carving, it appears to emanate from one of the many cave temples of the Northern Qi dynasty, or the Northern Zhou dynasty that superseded its rule in 577. The even idealised features are evident on the oval face, which combines traces of the Northern Qi style in the slight angularity of the features with the more lavish decorative style of the Northern Zhou, as evident from the opulence of the jewellery preserved so well on the upper half of the torso. The annexation in 553 of Sichuan by China’s northwest (then ruled by the Western Wei dynasty) is essential in understanding the formation of Northern Zhou bodhisattva images. The Northern Zhou style is marked by lavish surface decoration, stemmed from the aesthetic of the northwest and was transmitted from India, forging deep roots in Sichuanese Buddhist art. As seen on the present carving, figures of this period were heavily adorned with necklaces and ornate crowns, thus accentuating their sense of mass.

Bodhisattva figures, popular since the patronage of the Northern Wei imperial family, who commissioned the carving of rock caves in Longmen and Gongxian, continued throughout the successive dynasties. Such carvings followed the artistic language introduced by the grand Buddhist cave sculpture projects, which exerted an overwhelming influence on Chinese sculpture of the period in general. The political and social turmoil that accompanied dynastic changes in the 6th century significantly impacted Chinese Buddhist practice in several ways which are reflected in religious art of the period. In their search for refuge beyond the chaos of the material world, a variant form of Pure Land Buddhism, in which devotion to Amitabha (or a bodhisattva such as Avalokiteshvara) allowed adherents to be reborn in Sukhavati (the Western Paradise of the Buddha Amitabha), grew in popularity. Consequently, images of bodhisattvas proliferated in the third quarter of the 6th century, as evidenced by the present and numerous contemporaneous examples. The current stele appears to represent the bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara.

The texture of the sandstone carving, and precise articulation of the facial features, especially the centrally parted hair, characteristic broad nose rising to arched brows and full lips above the sensitively rendered crease of the chin, all closely relate to a sandstone head from the collection of Stephen Junkunc III, offered in our New York rooms, 12th September 2018, lot 17. For another related sandstone fragment of a Buddhist stele at auction, see the example sold at Christie’s London, 19th June 2001, lot 109.