China, Northern Qi/Sui Dynasty

Circa 6th-7th century

Marble, on ebonised base

Approx. 98 cm. high (the figure), 101.5 cm. incl. base

PROVENANCE:

Private collection, Cotswolds, England, formed since the 1970s

This beautiful carved marble figure shows the Buddha standing wearing a long monastic robe, which clings closely to the body, falling in tighter folds over the (fragmentary) arms and terminating at the hem above an under-garment.

The undulating surface of the body subtly outlines the hips and legs of the figure. The serene face is shown with heavy-lidded closed eyes and pursed lips, suggesting a smile, above a pinched chin, and the hair is arranged in tight curls over a domed ushnisha. The missing right hand was probably raised, in abhaya mudra (fearlessness) while the missing left hand was lowered in varada mudra (generosity). The figure sits atop a circular lotus-leaf base with a twisting flower at the back and terminates in a twisting cone at the bottom, made for insertion into a base.

The present figure probably represents Buddha Amitābha, the supreme Buddha of the Pure Land (Ching tu) sect. According to this doctrine, the immediate aim of the follower is not Nirvana (the ultimate goal) but rebirth in the Western Paradise of Amitābha, a place of complete beauty with jewelled trees, lofty palaces and lotus ponds, peopled with heavenly musicians and dancers. Images of this Buddha were popular during the Northern Qi (550-577 AD) and Sui (581-618) Dynasties and large free-standing figures carved in white marble were produced in a number of active workshops in west Central Hopei.

For related standing figures of the Buddha from the Northern Qi/Sui period carved in marble, see the Amitābha in the Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto (inv. no. 923.18.13, fig. 1)[1] and another from the early Sui period illustrated in Hackin et al (op. cit., pl. 38). See also a smaller figure of a standing Buddha, carved in a similar crystallised white marble, which sold in Vienna in 2023 (Galerie Zacke, 11 Oct 2023, lot 167, fig. 2).

RELATED LITERATURE:

L. Sickman and A. Soper, The Art and Architecture of China. London, 1968, pp. 53-61, pl. 45; J. Hackin, O. Siren, L. Warner, P. Pelliot, Studies in Chinese Art and some Indian Influences. London, 1938, pp. 29-33, pl. 36 and pl. 38

This object has been searched against the Art Loss Register (Reference: S00253133), with no match found. A letter confirming this is available on request.

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[1] For images, see Royal Ontario Museum website: https://collections.rom.on.ca/objects/324186/marble-figure-of-amitabha-lord-of-the-western-paradise?ctx=358ab093-c3bc-48d9-8c12-a3246843eb83&idx=0