A LIMESTONE HEAD OF BUDDHA, TANG DYNASTY, CHINA, 7TH - EARLY 8TH CENTURY


Expert’s note:
The present monumental Buddha head, carved from the hard, dark gray limestone generally found in Henan province and associated with Buddhist carvings from the Longmen caves, is a superb example of the High Tang style of the late 7th to early 8th century.

Finely carved, the serene face with a pair of heavy-lidded downcast eyes with sinuous lids, below gently arched brows, above pursed bow-shaped lips with a pronounced philtrum, the hair arranged in tight curls, the head surmounted by a domed ushnisha.


Provenance:
An old Danish private collection. Bruun Rasmussen, Copenhagen, 9 December 2015. A Danish private collector, acquired from the above. A copy of a provenance statement from Bruun Rasmussen, dated 9 December 2015, written and signed by Ralph Lexner, Head of the Asian & Islamic Department, confirming that the present lot came from an old Danish private collection, accompanies this lot.

Condition:
Good condition, commensurate with age. Extensive wear, predominantly from centuries of worship within the culture. Signs of weathering and erosion, encrustations, shallow surface scratches, nicks, losses, remnants of ancient pigment. Fine, naturally grown patina overall, thus displaying remarkably well.

Weight: 15.4 kg (incl. stand)
Dimensions: Height 41.7 cm (incl. stand) and 28.5 cm (excl. stand)

Mounted on a massive white marble base, dating from the 20th century. (2)


Literature comparison:

Compare a related limestone head of the Buddha, 43.1 cm high, dated to the Tang dynasty, illustrated by Osvald Siren, Chinese Sculpture: From the Fifth to the Fourteenth Century, 1925, pl. 466A, and sold by Sotheby’s New York, 3 September 2013, lot 8. Compare a related Buddha head in the collection of the Museum für Ostasiatische Kunst, Cologne, illustrated by Gunhild Gabbert, Buddhistische Plastik aus China und Japan, Wiesbaden, 1972, pl. 89; two published in R. L. d’Argence, Chinese, Korean and Japanese Sculpture in the Avery Brundage Collection, San Francisco, 1974, pls. 104 and 106; and a further example depicted in situ published in Longmen liusan diaoxiang ji, Shanghai, 1993, p.104, pl. 41, the main Buddha in the Santa Dong (Three Tower Cave) complex.


Auction result comparison:

Type: Related
Auction: Christie’s New York, 24 March 2004, lot 115
Price: USD 95,600 or approx.
EUR 140,000
converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A gray stone head of Buddha, Tang dynasty, circa 700, Longmen Caves
Expert remark: Compare the related manner of carving with a similar roughly hewn surface. Note the size of the head (34.3 cm).




唐代七至八世紀初石灰石佛頭

佛頭頭頂飾有小螺髮，肉髻平緩，面部豐滿而圓潤，頭額寬平，兩眼細長，唇部飽滿，嘴角上揚，笑意盈然，神情恬靜親切。


來源：
丹麥私人舊藏；哥本哈根Bruun Rasmussen，2015 年 12 月 9 日；丹麥私人收藏。家，購自上述。隨附一份由亞洲與伊斯蘭部門負責人Ralph Lexner 於2015 年12 月9 日撰寫並簽署的Bruun Rasmussen 出處聲明副本，確認本拍品來自丹麥私人舊藏。

品相：
品相良好，大面積磨損，風化和侵蝕、結殼、淺表面劃痕、刻痕、缺損、顏料殘留。整體細膩包漿。

重量：15.4 公斤 (含底座)
尺寸：高41.7 厘米 (含底座) 與 28.5 厘米 (不含底座)

安裝在巨大的白色大理石底座上，其歷史可追溯至二十世紀。 (2)


文獻比較：

比較一件相近的唐代石灰石佛頭，高43.1 厘米，見Osvald Siren，《Chinese Sculpture: From the Fifth to the Fourteenth Century》，1925年，圖466A，以及售於紐約蘇富比，2013年9月3日，lot 8。比較一件相近的佛頭，見科隆東亞藝術博物館，見Gunhild Gabbert，《Buddhistische Plastik aus China und Japan》，Wiesbaden，1972年，圖89。兩件見R. L. d’Argence，《Chinese，Korean and Japanese Sculpture in the Avery Brundage Collection》，舊金山，1974年，圖104和106。另一件例子發表於《龍門流散雕像集》，上海，1993年，頁104，圖41，主佛在三塔洞（三塔洞）建築群中。


拍賣結果比較：

形制：相近
拍賣：紐約佳士得，2004年3月24日，lot 115
價格：USD 95,600（相當於今日
EUR 140,000
）
描述：約700年龍門唐代灰石佛頭
專家評論：比較相近的雕刻風格，以及相似的切割技巧。請注意佛頭尺寸 (34.3 厘米)。