A 'YUNGANG' SANDSTONE RELIEF FRAGMENT OF A BODHISATTVA HEAD NORTHERN WEI DYNASTY, LATE 5TH CENTURY

the granulated grey sandstone with a slight pinkish-buff patina, carved with a head turned slightly to one side, the figure truncated diagonally preserving part of the left shoulder, the rounded face set with small bud lips, below the broad nose and slightly puffy eyes with hooded eyelids, all framed by a high topknot and ribbons trailing down the shoulder, wood stand

Acquired between the 1950s and 60s.

The fragment had been broken and re-glued across the divinity's forehead. Otherwise there is no other apparent recent damages or restorations.
"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 face with a calm expression and a gentle smile above a dimpled chin, the narrow slightly slanted eyes below the gracefully arched brows, and the hair pulled into a tall chignon are all characteristics found in bodhisattva sculptures from the Yungang cave temples at Datong in Shanxi province. With an elegant willowy body and a facial expression that conveys a sense of spiritual modesty, these figures came to represent the ideal of Chinese beauty at the time.

See a number of related bodhisattva figures included in the exhibition Chinese Buddhist Sculpture from the Wei through the Tang Dynasties, The National Museum of History, Taipei, 1983, cat. nos. 2-6. Compare also a relief carving in situ illustrated in Yungang shiku [Yungang grottoes], Beijing, 1977, pls. 20 and 26, from cave no. 6 which is considered one of the most magnificent and richly decorated caves at Yungang. It contains 33 reliefs depicting stories of Sakyamuni Buddha from his birth to his attainment of Buddhahood.

Another closely related head, similarly carved in high relief and attributed to Yungang, was sold in our London rooms, 10th November 2010, lot 18, from the Rheinish collection; and a further head, from the collection of Mr. and Mrs. James Alsdorf, and included in a number of publications, was exhibited in Chinese Sculpture and Works of Art, Eskenazi, London, 2008, cat. no. 2, which is attributed to the Yungang caves in S. Mizuno and T. Nagahiro, Yun-Kang, The Buddhist Cave-Temples of the Fifth Century A.D. in North China, vol. VII, Kyoto, 1952, pls. 42 and 54.