J.J. Lally & Co., Oriental Art / New York City, New York

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Past Exhibition

Ancient Chinese Sculpture: Recent Acquisitions

March 14 - April 5, 2014

1.
A RED SANDSTONE SEATED FIGURE OF THE BUDDHA

Northern Wei Dynasty (A.D. 386-535)

carved in the round in a naïve provincial style, the Buddha Amitabha shown seated with legs crossed in dhyanasana as if on a cushion, with the forward corners compressed by his bare feet, his hands folded and resting in his lap, with long fingers entwined, with a benevolent expression on his face, his elongated narrow eyes half-closed under prominent arched eyebrows, and a ‘mystical smile’ on his lips, his ears of exaggerated size carved flat and plain with long lobes, a large domed usnisa on top of his head, wearing simple robes carved with an all-over pebbled surface except for the narrow crossed lapels, the brick-red sandstone showing widely scattered traces of white and pale reddish-tan pigment, especially on the face and arms, with remains of light green pigment in several places on the robes.

Height 16 12 inches (41.9 cm)

Compare the relief figure of the Buddha shown seated in a niche, carved from similar coarse reddish sandstone in a naïve provincial style, exhibited at the National Museum of History, Taiwan, and illustrated in the catalogue entitled The Splendour of Buddhist Statuaries: Buddhist Stone Carvings in the Northern Dynasties, Taipei, 1997, pp. 70-71, no. 2.

北魏 紅砂岩坐佛 高 41.9 厘米