A MARBLE STELE FRAGMENT OF THE BUDDHA, EASTERN WEI DYNASTY
China, 532-546 AD. The finely carved fragment depicts the Buddha, with his serene face, heavy lidded eyes, and calm smile, in repose backed by a tear-drop mandorla. His robes are smooth, draping off his shoulders to naturalistically expose his chest. His head with a round ushnisha, worn through centuries of worhip.


Provenance:
From a private collection in Brescia, Italy.

Condition:
Good condition, commensurate with age. The marble has been smoothened through extensive weathering and worship, with soil remnants likely from a prolonged period of burial, cracks and losses, all of which only add to the exceptionally breathtaking appearance of this little gem.

Weight: 517.1 g
Dimensions: Height 11.5 cm

With an associated metal stand. (2)


Steles played an important
role in the development of religious art in China. During the Northern Wei dynasty, state-sponsorship of Buddhism enabled the rapid spread of the religion throughout northern China. At this time, Buddhist voluntary groups affiliated to local temples and organized by laymen became the main patrons of Buddhist steles which commemorated the group's religious, social, and territorial identity. The relative ubiquity of the medium employed to manufacture steles, and their small size, prompted a multitude of regional workshops, many of which developed their own style using the monumental cave temple carvings as a basis.


Literature comparison:

Compare a related stele with the buddha, 3.2 m high, from the Shanxi province and dated to the Northern Wei dynasty, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, accession number 65.29.3, published by Denise Leidy and Donna Strahan in Wisdom Embodied: Chinese Buddhist and Daoist Sculpture in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2011. Compare a related head of the Buddha with a very similar style, 25.3 cm high, in the Museum for East Asian Art Cologne, accession number Bc 40,2. Compare a related sandstone stele which has the tear-drop mandorla enveloping the entire figure, 134 cm high, dated to the Eastern Wei Dynasty, in the Brooklyn Museum, accession number 2015.3. Compare a much later stele of the buddha with a similar tear-drop mandorla, 55.9 cm high, dated to the Tang dynasty, in the Minneapolis Institute of Art, accession number 2021.34. Compare a closely related stele, 174 cm high, from the Shaanxi province and dated 520 AD, in the Victoria & Albert Museum, accession number A.9-1935. Compare a closely related stele, 92.5 cm high, from the Shaanxi province and dated 544 AD, in the Victoria & Albert Museum, accession number FE.7-1971. Compare a related sandstone stele, 195.5 cm high, dated 515-525 AD, in the National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, accession number S1991.157.


Auction result comparison:

Type: Related
Auction: Bonhams London, 8 November 2004, lot 77
Price: GBP 8,365 or approx.
EUR 20,000
converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A limestone stele fragment, late Northern Wei/Eastern Wei dynasty
Expert remark: Note the similar carving style used to craft this bodhisattva. Note the much larger size (41 cm).


Auction result comparison:

Type: Related
Auction: Bonhams Paris, 26 October 2022, lot 231
Price: EUR 50,000 or approx.
EUR 52,500
adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A stone documentary stele of Buddha, Northern Wei Dynasty
Expert remark: Note the related style of the Buddha and the tear-drop mandorla. Note the much larger size (36.8 cm).




東魏漢白玉佛頭殘片

中國，532-546年。精美雕刻半身佛陀，面容平靜，雙眼微閉，笑容安詳，背靠水滴狀光背。他的長袍衣紋光滑，從肩膀上垂下來，自然地露出胸部。他的頭上有螺髻，經過幾個世紀的崇拜而磨損。


來源：義
大利布雷西亞的私人收藏。

品相：
品相良好，土壤殘留可能是長期埋藏所致，有裂縫和缺損。

重量：517.1 克
尺寸：高11.5 厘米

金屬支架 (2)


文獻比較：

比較一件相近的北魏陝西佛陀碑 stele with the buddha，高3.2公尺，收藏於大都會藝術博物館館藏編號65.29.3，出版於Denise Leidy和Donna Strahan，《Wisdom Embodied: Chinese Buddhist and Daoist Sculpture》，收藏於大都會藝術博物館，2011年。比較一件相似風格的佛像，高25.3 厘米，收藏於科隆東亞藝術館，館藏編號Bc 40,2。比較一件相近的東魏砂岩石碑，曼陀羅包裹著整個人物，高134 厘米，收藏於布魯克林博物館，館藏編號2015.3。比較一件唐代石牌，有相似的水滴狀光背，高55.9 厘米，收藏於明尼亞波利斯藝術博物館，館藏編號2021.34。比較一件非常相近的山西520年石牌，高174 厘米，收藏於維多利亞和亞伯特博物館，館藏編號A.9-1935。比較一件非常相近的山西544年石牌 stele，高92.5 厘米，收藏於維多利亞和亞伯特博物館，館藏編號FE.7-1971。比較一件相近的515-525年砂岩石牌，高195.5 厘米，收藏於史密森國立亞洲藝術博物館，館藏編號S1991.157。


拍賣結果比較：

形制：相近
拍賣：倫敦邦翰斯，2004年11月8日，lot 77
價格：GBP 8,365（相當於今日
EUR 20,000
）
描述：北魏末至東魏石灰岩石像
專家評論：請注意相似的雕刻風格。請注意尺寸較大 (41 厘米)。


拍賣結果比較：

形制：相近
拍賣：巴黎邦翰斯，2022年10月26日，lot 231
價格：EUR 50,000（相當於
EUR 52,500
今日）
描述：北魏永平三年石雕佛龕
專家評論：請注意相近的雕刻風格和水滴狀光背。請注意尺寸較大 (36.8 厘米)。