A painted marble figure of Ananda, Tang dynasty | 唐 大理石彩繪阿難尊者立像

Carved in the Tang dynasty (618-907) when sculptural craftsmanship reached its mature phase, this figure of a smooth-shaven young monk with compassionate expression represents Ananda, Shakyamuni Buddha's cousin, personal attendant and disciple. Ananda is renowned for his excellent memory - he is said to have memorised many of the discourses the Buddha delivered to audiences as they toured around. After the passing of the Buddha, Ananda’s recitals of Shakyamuni’s teachings became the basis for early Buddhist texts. Since around the 6th century, Chinese Buddhist sculptures often depicted two disciples flanking images of the Buddha Shakyamuni, one rendered as a youthful and the other as an elderly monk, as representations of Ananda and Kashyapa.

The present sculpture is unusual in its rendering of the overly large head in proportion to the body, emphasising the youthful aspect of the figure. A related Tang marble figure possibly of Ananda, but with hands joined in front, formerly in Collection Rousset, Paris, is illustrated in Osvald Sirén, Chinese Sculpture from the Fifth to the Fourteenth Century, vol. 3, New York, 1970, pl. 374 A, and was sold at Bonhams London, 17th May 2012, lot 101.