A MARBLE SEATED 'PENSIVE' MAITREYA NORTHERN QI DYNASTY

the bodhisattva portrayed as the Lord of Tusita, modelled in the round seated in lalitasana on a raised circular base with the left leg crossed over the right knee, his right hand resting on his left foot while the right arm (now missing) bends up toward the face, the hand most likely with one finger raised touching the side of his face in pensive thought, the figures dressed in a long snug robe clinging around the body and draping in loose folds over his legs, the chest detailed with a simple, low relief pointed torque, the round benevolent face finely carved with a broad nose, bow-shaped eyes and a small bud mouth, the hairline framed by a rounded diadem wreathed in curling veils falling behind his pendulous earlobes and along his shoulders, against a truncated bodhi tree, the white marble of slightly pale buff tone with light brown calcified patches on the reverse of the figure

Acquired between the 1950s and 60s.

This is a fragment of a larger stele or architectural niche in its expected truncated condition as visible on the photo. There are some surface patches of brown calcification to the rear of the figure. There is a 1.2 cm scratch to the lower right of the chin of the figure. There is a red painted inventory reference number 2279 on the base. Otherwise there does not seem to be any other recent damages or restorations. The stone has a pale ivory-yellow tinge.
"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."

A closely related marble figure of a 'pensive' Maitreya, dated in accordance with AD 570, is illustrated in Osvald Sirén, Chinese Sculpture from the Fifth to the Fourteenth Century, London, 1925, pl. 244b, and was also included in the exhibition Ancient Chinese Sculpture, Eskenazi, London, 1978, cat. no. 12, from the collection of K. Takenouchi, Tokyo. Compare also two closely related figures illustrated in Matsubara Saburō, Chūgoku bukkyō chōkoku shi kenkyū/Chinese Buddhist Sculpture, Tokyo, 1966, pls. 146a and 146b, the former bearing a dedicatory inscription with a date corresponding to AD 564.

See a further example of a standing bodhisattva figure with closely related features included ibid., pl. 267b, from the collection of George Eumorfopoulos, London; and an early Northern Qi period Maitreya figure published in Matsubara Saburō, Chūgoku bukkyō chōkoku shiron/The Path of Chinese Buddhist Sculpture, Tokyo, 1995, plate vol. 2, pl. 474, dated to 550.