MING DYNASTY (1368-1644)

Details

A GREY STONE HEAD OF BUDDHA
MING DYNASTY (1368-1644)
The round face is well-carved with a serene meditative expression with half-closed eyes above a small full mouth and framed by large, pendulous ear lobes. The hair is neatly arranged in tight curls around the low, domed usnisa and above the projecting urna on the forehead.
15 5/8 in. (39.7 cm.) high, wood stand

Provenance

Yamanaka, Japan, 1951.
Morris A. Helprin Collection, and thence by descent within the family.

Brought to you by

Michael Bass

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Lot Essay

The straight hairline, large, heavily-lidded eyes, and soft fullness of the face of this head are all stylistic characteristics of Ming dynasty sculpture found across various media, including gilt bronze, wood, and porcelain. Compare the features of the present head to that of a large (100 cm.) sancai-glazed stoneware figure of a seated Buddha, also dating to the Ming dynasty, in the collection of The Buddhist Books and Cultural Relics Museum of China, Beijing, and illustrated in Fujiao Diaosu Mingpin Tulu, Beijing, 1997, p. 171, pl. 163. The face of the sancai-glazed figure shares similar treatment of the round shape, full lips, and hairline, with the face of the present stone head.

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