Apsara Carved Limestone Stele with Extremely Rare 'Oolitic silica', Wei Dynasty

This statue appears to be a stone sculpture of an apsara, a celestial nymph from Buddhist and Hindu traditions. Despite its fragmentary state, the sculpture conveys grace and movement. The apsara is captured in a dynamic pose, perhaps once part of a larger tableau, playing a flute-like instrument. The facial features are serene yet expressive, with faint traces of pigmentation hinting at the sculpture's original polychromy. The black stand was made in Hong Kong at the time of the acquisition. Date : Northern Wei...

The face with downcast eyes and a smile, the hair swept up behind the pendulous ears into a high topknot. Faint traces of pigmentation hinting at the sculpture's original polychromy. The black stand was made in Hong Kong at the time of the acquisition. Date : Northern Wei-Tang Dynasty(5-8th century) Provenance : Acquired in late 1990s from Hongkong Reference : 1) Sotheby's London 13 May 2015 - The Soul Of Japanese Aesthetics – The Tsuneichi Inoue Collection - Lot 18 (Price realised : 17,500 GBP / Type : Closely related) 2) Sotheby's New York 26 September 2023 - CHINA / 5000 YEARS - Lot 1156 (Price realised : 8,890 USD / Type : Closely related) * Stone Head of Bodhisattva...

The statuette shows traces of the original red, black, and white pigmentation. The figure’s body, head, and hands (which in this case are lost) were all made separately to give her an essence of movement and dynamism. Given its almost identical shape to the piece from the Artemis Gallery...

This artwork, acquired in Hong Kong during the 1990s, is presumed to have been produced in the same kiln from the Han dynasty, based on the head of the Sotheby's reference piece, which also originated from Hong Kong. Furthermore, given its almost identical shape to the piece from the Artemis Gallery...

400-500 years old hand carved sandstone sculpture of a standning Buddha flanked by a munk and a mythical animal. Originates from pagoda / temple in Ara...

This intricate limestone stele of a standing buddha likely depicts Maitreya, the Buddha of the Future. The only Buddhist divinity revered as both a bodhisattva and a Buddha, Maitreya is prophesied to return to Earth some time in the distant future and continue the historic Buddha's teachings of the Dharma. Like the historic Shakyamuni Buddha, Maitreya is a compassionate being devoted to showing the path to enlightenment. Carved in the style of sixth century Chinese statuary...

This carved stone stele depicts the historical Buddha, known also as Shaka, Shakyamuni, or Siddhartha Gautama. Seated in perpetual meditation, the Buddha embodies virtues of wisdom and composure. Hand-carved of limestone in the style of Northern Wei (386-535) statuary, the Buddha is depicted upon a lotus plinth with legs crossed in lotus position. His hands are held downwards in bhumisparsha mudra, a gesture representing the moment that the Buddha claimed the earth as witness to his awakening. The Buddha has a peaceful, benevolent expression and is framed by a halo of concentric circles. His figure is surrounded by attendant bodhisattvas, carved in relief on the curved stele behind and platform below. Leafy tree branches add a naturalistic touch to the background, wrapping around to the back of the stele to form a canopy above a second, smaller Buddha...

Sculpture of a pagoda guardian carved from sandstone, Originating from a Buddhist pagoda or temple in Burma, dating back to the 15th-16th century. This piece was unearthed following ...