A RARE WHITE MARBLE HEAD OF A LUOHAN SONG – LIAO DYNASTY

sensitively carved as the head of a luohan, the figure depicted with an expressive and serene countenance, the face framed by a deeply lined forehead and prominently rendered arched brows above downcast eyes, with taut rounded cheeks above a pursed mouth flanked by deep wrinkles spreading towards the long pendulous earlobes, all below a protuberant urna centred on the forehead, the marble of a pale cream-buff colour with traces of gilt, stand

Armin Lemp, Zurich, c.1969.
Collection of Baroness Alexandra von Diergardt, Santa Fe, NM, c.1969-2015.

The face of the luohan has been well preserved with only some insignificant scratches and dents. There are, however, a few areas of losses to the back of the head and his left ear along a natural veining of the stone (largest approx. 4 cm). Some of the old gilt lacquer has been preserved and is visible in the catalogue illustration.
"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 sensitive rendering of the luohan's expressive countenance is particularly successfully achieved on this superbly carved head. Its distinctive facial features, specifically the high cheekbones, prominent nose and wrinkled forehead indicate that this luohan is elderly, and appears to represent Kasyapa, who was one of Sakyamuni Buddha's ten principal disciples. Kasyapa came from the kingdom of Magadha and by the time he met Buddha, was already well into his eighties. He was a renowned ascetic and had a large following of his own.

In the Chan Buddhist tradition, Kasyapa is considered the first Indian patriarch and Ananda, the second. They are often portrayed together on either side of Buddha. This arrangement is commonly found in caves in China dating from the Northern Wei dynasty (386-535), with Ananda to Buddha's right and Kasyapa to the left, as seen in the Central Binyang Cave at Longmen, illustrated in Angela Falco Howard, Li Song, Wu Hung and Yang Hong, Chinese Sculpture, New Haven, 2006, p. 238, fig. 3.39. This standard iconographic arrangement continued through the Sui, Tang, Liao and Song periods.

A closely related marble head of Ananda is illustrated in Chinese Sculpture c.500 – 1500, Eskenazi, London, 2014, cat. no. 16. See also another marble head of a luohan illustrated in Otto Fischer, Chinesische Plastikl, Munich, 1948, pl. 121, formerly in the collection of General Munthe, Beijing. All these finely carved heads are reminiscent of the famous set of sancai-glazed luohan figures, dated to the Liao dynasty, reputedly from Yixian, Hebei province, now dispersed in several museum collections around the world, including the example in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, illustrated in Denise Patry Leidy and Donna Strahan, Wisdom Embodied: Chinese Buddhist and Daoist Sculpture in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New Haven, 2010, pp. 112-116, nos 23a and 23b.