A rare black stone figure of Buddha

TIBET, CIRCA 13TH CENTURY

Details

A rare black stone figure of Buddha
Tibet, circa 13th century
Seated in dhyanasana on a lotus base with his hands in bhumisparsamudra, the folds of his diaphanous sanghati pooled below the ankles and draped over the shoulder, the face with downcast eyes and finely arched brows centered by a large raised urna the hair in tight snailshell curls over the ushnisha and topped with a knop
20 in. (50.8 cm.) high

Provenance

Ferruccio Abbiati and Marco Pilati, Italy, 1980
Ottini Collection, Torino

Literature

Instituto Internazionale di Studi Tibetani, Tibet, Una Terra una Cultura, 1990, unp.

Exhibited

Tibet, Una Terra una Cultura, Castello degli Aldobrandeschi, Arcidosso, Italy, 30 May-8 July 1990

Lot Essay

Works of such size and quality in execution in stone are rare in Tibet, where gilt bronzes became the primary focus of the religious commissions. However, works similar in scale and style were being carried out by Pala stone carvers as early as the 10th century; it is likely the sculptor of the present work was trained either in Northeastern India or was of Indian origin himself. For a related Pala period example of a stone seated Buddha with similar treatment of the drapery from Bihar, see S. Huntington, The "Pala-Sena" Schools of Sculpture, 1984, fig. 121.

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