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A Grey Limestone head of a bodhisattva Possibly Late Northern Wei Dynasty, 6th century image 1
A Grey Limestone head of a bodhisattva Possibly Late Northern Wei Dynasty, 6th century image 2
A Grey Limestone head of a bodhisattva Possibly Late Northern Wei Dynasty, 6th century image 3
A Grey Limestone head of a bodhisattva Possibly Late Northern Wei Dynasty, 6th century image 4
A Grey Limestone head of a bodhisattva Possibly Late Northern Wei Dynasty, 6th century image 5
A Grey Limestone head of a bodhisattva Possibly Late Northern Wei Dynasty, 6th century image 6
A Grey Limestone head of a bodhisattva Possibly Late Northern Wei Dynasty, 6th century image 7
A Grey Limestone head of a bodhisattva Possibly Late Northern Wei Dynasty, 6th century image 8
A Grey Limestone head of a bodhisattva Possibly Late Northern Wei Dynasty, 6th century image 9
A Grey Limestone head of a bodhisattva Possibly Late Northern Wei Dynasty, 6th century image 10
A Grey Limestone head of a bodhisattva Possibly Late Northern Wei Dynasty, 6th century image 11
A Grey Limestone head of a bodhisattva Possibly Late Northern Wei Dynasty, 6th century image 12
A Grey Limestone head of a bodhisattva Possibly Late Northern Wei Dynasty, 6th century image 13
A Grey Limestone head of a bodhisattva Possibly Late Northern Wei Dynasty, 6th century image 14
A Grey Limestone head of a bodhisattva Possibly Late Northern Wei Dynasty, 6th century image 15
A Grey Limestone head of a bodhisattva Possibly Late Northern Wei Dynasty, 6th century image 16
A Grey Limestone head of a bodhisattva Possibly Late Northern Wei Dynasty, 6th century image 17
A Grey Limestone head of a bodhisattva Possibly Late Northern Wei Dynasty, 6th century image 18
A Grey Limestone head of a bodhisattva Possibly Late Northern Wei Dynasty, 6th century image 19
A Grey Limestone head of a bodhisattva Possibly Late Northern Wei Dynasty, 6th century image 20
PROPERTY FROM THE COLLECTION OF JAMES AND MARILYNN ALSDORF
Lot 78

A Grey Limestone head of a bodhisattva
Possibly Late Northern Wei Dynasty, 6th century

Chinese Works of Art and Paintings
15 March 2021, 10:00 EDT
New York

Sold for US$75,312.50 inc. premium

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A Grey Limestone head of a bodhisattva

Possibly Late Northern Wei Dynasty, 6th century
The fragment wearing a faceted crown fronted with an image of a seated Amitabha and stylized leaf sprays at the corners, his striated hair parted at the center and framing the rectangular face with incised urna on the forehead above arching brows, deep-set eyes and a cleft chin below the full lips.
9 1/4in (23.5cm) high

Footnotes

北魏晚期或更晚 六世紀 石灰岩菩薩頭像

Provenance
Parke-Bernet Galleries, Inc., New York sale, 22 October 1971
Property of the Estate of Cornelius Vanderstarr, New York

Exhibited and Published
New York, C. T. Loo & Co., An Exhibition of Stone Sculpture, 1940, pl. VIII, no. 15

來源
Parke-Bernet Galleries, Inc., 紐約, 1971年10月22日
Cornelius Vanderstarr舊藏, 紐約

展覽及出版
C. T. Loo & Co., An Exhibition of Stone Sculpture, 紐約，1940年, 圖版VIII, 編號15


The figure of Amitabha seated at the front of the crown usually identifies the image as the bodhisattva Guanyin. However, see the grey stone head dated to the Northern Wei dynasty, identified as from the Longmen caves and possibly a figure of Maitreya was sold in Christie's, New York, Fine Chinese Art from the Arthur M. Sackler Collection, 17 March 2009, lot 348. Of similar size (9 5/8in. [24.5cm high]) to the Alsdorf head, the crown on its head also displays simplified leaf sprays of fleur-de-lys form that separate the seated Buddha at the front from the rosette preserved on the side. The Sackler head also displays more delicate features, flat ears and smoothly parted hair in contrast to the articulated ears and striated hair visible on the Alsdorf head.

See also a rare limestone 'Longmen' relief fragmentary head of Guanyin, dated to the Northern Wei dynasty, sold at Sotheby's, Hong Kong, Chinese Art through the Eye of Sakamoto Goro, 8 October 2013, lot 111. Although of much smaller size (4 3/8in. [11.3cm. high], the crown on the head displays the simplified leaf sprays of fleur-de-lys form seen on the Sackler head.

See also the head of larger size (18 3/4in. [47.6cm] high) in the collection of the Freer Gallery of Art (F1913.71, Gift of Charles Lang Freer: https://asia.si.edu/object/F1913.71/. Identified as Guanyin, from the Longmen Grottoes, and dated 493-534, its towering crown also displays a seated Amitabha between elaborate leaf scrolls that recall the Alsdorf head. Also like the Alsdorf head, the ears on the Freer figure appear to be articulated; but its slender face and features, as well as the smoothly finished hair more strongly resemble the Sackler Collection head sold by Christies.

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