A FINE CARVED MARBLE STELE NORTHERN QI DYNASTY

finely carved, the Buddha seated in padmasana with his hands held in abhaya and varadamudra and wearing a long flowing robe cascading over the pedestal block base, flanked by two bodhisattvas and backed by a flame-filled, leaf-shaped aureole, the base carved with a semi-clad figure supporting a lotus-bud shaped censer above his head and flanked by two deities and two ferocious lions, the reverse carved in low relief with a further image of Buddha, traces of original painted pigments

Hotel Drouot, Paris, 7th October 1987, lot 75.

The stele is in very good overall condition with only very minor old loss and damage: in particular a 2 x 1cm. flake to the tip of the front face of the aureole; a 6 x 3cm. flake to the middle right side edge of the aureole; a shallow 9cm. wide section of loss to the front left side of the base including the front edges of the lions paws and attendants right foot; some deep scratches to the rear of the carving; and minor old rubbing and wear which has characteristically softened the edges of the carving.
"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."

The present stele is comparable with a Northern Wei period stele in the Osaka City Art Museum illustrated in Saburo Matsubara, Chugoku bukkyo chokoku shiron, Tokyo, 1995, pl. 135a; and another ibid., 197b. See also a stele dated by an inscription to A.D. 494 included in the Handbook of the Nelson Gallery of Art, Atkins Museum, Kansas City, vol. 2, Kansas, 1973, p. 28, where it is noted that the 'sharp, precise carving, with lightly incised drapery folds, is a refinement of the earlier, archaic fifth century style of the Yunkang cave chapels'.

Compare also a related stele, illustrated in Collection of Chinese and Other Far Eastern Art Assembled by Yamanaka and Company Inc., New York, 1943, cat. no. 368, sold in these rooms, 10th December 1985, lot 55; and a stupa carved with scenes depicting Shakyamuni Buddha in various stages of his life, in the Gansu Provincial Museum, published in Zhongguo meishu quanji, vol. 4, Beijing, 1988, pl. 76.