SUI / TANG DYNASTY WHITE MARBLE FIGURE OF BODHISATTVA
Tang Dynasty, Ca. 618-907 AD. A well-carved and rare white marble Sui or Tang Dynasty figure depicting standing Bodhisattva on a plinth. The facial features are detailed, and both hairstyle and robe are elaborately jewelled and decorated. The robe is long, freely falling down the body and the stand of the statue. This figure spans the aesthetic of the Sui and Tang dynasty when a more naturalistic approach to depictions of Buddhist deities was gradually adopted. After a long period of cultural and military disunion, China was first unified under the Sui dynasty in 581, and in 618 the general Li Yuan founded the Tang dynasty. From the early years of the Tang dynasty, Buddhism was supported by the Imperial court, which actively sponsored major building projects and encouraged monks to travel abroad and bring back sacred scriptures. Empress Wu Zetian (624-705), in particular, sponsored the building of several important caves and the monumental sculptures of the Fengxian Temple at Longmen. Empress Wu sought to draw parallels between her Imperial court and the Buddhist hierarchy in an effort to impart a spiritual significance to her rule. Sculptures of the period embody the new Tang style, and it is in this stylistic context that this figure stands firmly. A keen observation of human anatomy and the natural world is evident in the depiction of these figures’ facial features, the subtle movement of their bodies and the natural sway of their garments. Figures appear imbued with physicality and sensitivity not present in their Sui counterparts. It was under the Tang dynasty that Buddhism reached its most flourishing phase. The years of cultural and political division that accompanied dynastic changes from the fall of the Han through the establishment of the Sui and Tang dynasties, gradually led to the rise of Pure Land Buddhism. The piece comes with a custom-made stand. Size: L:650mm / W:280mm; 21.30kg Provenance: Private London collection, formerly with Sir Roger Moss, acquired in the 1980s in Hong Kong.

Estimate: GBP 1500 - 3000