SCULPTURE
AN IMPORTANT LARGE LIMESTONE MORTUARY BED

Details
AN IMPORTANT LARGE LIMESTONE MORTUARY BED
SIX DYNASTIES

The horizontal lintel carved with a border of overlapping leaves in relief above an incised twisted-rope border and a low-relief carved band of oval cartouches formed by intertwined floral vines, each containing either a fanciful phoenix-like creature or a ferocious winged beast, each figure a composite of different powerful animals, above three vertical pillars, the central pillar with a vivid high relief taotie mask, the one to the right with a muscular feline beside a human figure, the one to the left with a human-headed winged beast beside two mortals, the pillars connected by a stylized wave- motif border, traces or red pigment and gold leaf remaining, broken in two pieces and rejoined
83 1/2in. (212cm.) long

Lot Essay

Another mortuary bed dated to the first half of the 6th century A.D. is illustrated by Yamanaka and Co., Collection of Chinese and Other Far Eastern Art, New York, 1943, no. 365 and by Rene-Yvon Lefebvre d'Argence, Kodansha, The Avery Brundage Collections, Chinese, Korean and Japanese Sculpture, fig. 50. The Avery Brundage example compares well in that the form and borders are similar, the mythical beasts are within adjacent square frames however, not oval cartouches. Lefebvre-d'Argence mentions that the decorative motifs relate to a standard repertory found in the Buddhist cave temples of the Northern Wei period, and more specifically, the composite-beasts within the cartouches are of similar 'ferocious humor' and style as those on the Tombstone of Lady Yuan of the Northern Wei dynasty, dated 522 A.D. illustrated by Toshio Nagahiro, The Representional Art of the Six Dynasties Period, 1969, pls. 13-16.

Another related example was included in the Hong Kong Museum of Art Exhibition of Gems of Chinese Art from the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, 1983, Catalgue, no. 96; and one in the Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, is illustrated in Homage to Heaven, Homage to Earth, pl. 91

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