the full oval face sensitively carved with bow-shaped eyes, half-closed in meditation beneath slightly inset bulging eyelids and finely curved brows arching down to the sharp nose, with full lips and dimpled chin, the smooth forehead below neatly parted locks at the hairline, drawn up into an elegant chignon secured by an elaborate floral diadem, stand (2)

Collection of Desmond Gure (1905-1970), until 1968.
Arthur M. Sackler Collection, New York.
Christie's New York, 1st December 1994, lot 158.
Christie's Los Angeles, 4th December 1998, lot 42.
Sotheby's New York, 15th September 2010, lot 298.

The head is in general good condition, with restoration to the top of the nose and minor restoration to the right eye lid and to the tip the right ear lobe. The left ear lobe and a shallow section of the crown have chips. Characteristic wear to the stone surface, and the neck unevenly cut, consistent with type.
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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

The pronounced aristocratic countenance and the serene meditative expression of this bodhisattva head, rendered with a sensitive carving style and harmonious lines epitomize the heights of quality achieved by stone carvers during the Tang dynasty. The fleshy face, narrow slit eyes, arched brows that meet in an elegant curve with the ridge of the nose, and the coiffure with hair drawn up into a high chignon, are characteristic of this classic style of the early Tang. Sculptures with related features are particularly well-known from the Longmen Caves south of Luoyang in Henan province. This mature style rendered Buddhist figures in a distinctly Chinese manner, and the image of Guanyin, the Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara, grew increasingly more feminine in concept.

The refined carving of the facial features, the high elaborate chignon and earthly quality of this bodhisattva relate to several similar examples from the Longmen Caves; one in the Avery Brundage Collection, is illustrated in Chinese, Korean and Japanese Sculpture, Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, Japan, 1974, p. 222, no. 110; and another, from the collection of Arthur Wiesenberger, sold in these rooms, 11th September 2012, lot 118. Further related sculptures are illustrated in Longmen liusan diaoxiang ji, Shanghai, 1993, pls 72, 77 and 79; another published in Ancient Chinese Buddhist Sculpture. The C.K. Chan Collection, Taipei, 1989, pl. 9; and one sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 28th April 1996, lot 565.