A rare dark grey stone bust of a Bodhisattva, Jin Dynasty (1115-1234)

A rare dark grey stone bust of a Bodhisattva, Jin Dynasty (1115-1234)

Wearing a beaded necklace tied with ribbons that swirl to the sides and dangles to the gathered top of a skirt or dhoti, with beaded bands on the upper arms and a shawl and scarf draped over the shoulders, the face framed by the ears which are adorned with jeweled earrings, and by long ribbons trailing from a rosette-decorated headdress, traces of pigment. 19½ in. (49.5 cm.) high, stand. Estimate $30,000 - $50,000

金 灰石雕菩薩半身像

Provenance: Robert Rousset, Compagnie de Chine et des Indes, Paris, 1966.

Notes: Compare the features of the present lot to those of a bronze head of a bodhisattva dated to the Northern Song/Jin dynasty, 11th-12th century, in the collection of the Royal Ontario Museum, illustrated in Homage to Heaven Homage to Earth, Toronto, 1992, p. 176, no. 102. Both figures exhibit broad faces with long, slender noses and small, tightly pursed lips. The hair of both figures is arranged in a very similar manner, with the segments parted in front between two whorls. This distinctive feature appears frequently on sculpture of the Jin dynasty, and can also be seen on a six-armed figure of Candra in the Shanhua Temple in Datong, illustrated in Zhongguo Meishu Quanji: Diaosu Bian, vol. 5, Beijing, 1988, no. 178.

Christie's. Fine Chinese Art From The Arthur M. Sackler Collections. 18 March 2009  New York, Rockefeller Plaza www.christies.com Image Christie's Ltd 2009