A PAIR OF GILT-DECORATED STUCCO STANDING FIGURES OF BODHISATTVA SONG DYNASTY |

each skilfully carved and depicted standing in mirror image of the other with both arms bent, one hand raised and the other lowered as though holding a tribute, rendered with a serene expression accentuated with eyes inlaid with glass below an urna, framed by pendulous earlobes and a neatly modelled chignon, portrayed clad in layered clothing with fluttering hems, stands

A private collection, New Jersey.
Sotheby’s New York, 20th November 1973, lot 106.
Collection of James W. and Marilynn Alsdorf, Chicago.
Eskenazi Ltd, London.

Ancient Chinese sculpture from the Alsdorf collection and others, Eskenazi Ltd, London, 1990, cat. nos 21 and 22.

As expected for sculptures of this age and fragility, there have been some losses, but the overall sculptures are well preserved, with original details and gilding intact. The losses are clearly visible in the catalogue photo, including the right hand of the left figure and areas of the headdresses. Areas of the arms and tips of the robes have been broken off and consolidated, and other minor areas.
"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 pair of finely modelled figures is naturalistically carved with meticulously detailed attention to the serenity of the facial features, displaying their contemplative expressions and carefully modelled chignons. They would originally have been placed on elaborate altars in temples, the backgrounds representing contemporary religious beliefs where sculptured figures of Buddhist deities mingled and populated the heavens, creating a vision of paradise on earth within the confine of temple walls. A closely related stucco head of similar form and style in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art is published in Denise Patry Leidy and Donna Strahan, Wisdom Embodied: Chinese Buddhist and Daoist Sculpture in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New Haven, 2010, A45. Compare also the modelling on a pair of gilt-lacquered stucco figures of bodhisattvas originally acquired by John D. Rockefeller Jr. from Yamanaka & Co in 1936, and sold in our New York rooms, 16th March 2016, lot 360.