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Dear Mr Lee,

Sorry for the delay.I would be contacting you about an appraisal soon as there was some delay for an antique fair.Let me know your opinion about this tang dynasty buddhavistta.It stands almost a metre high.

I would be uncomfortable dating this piece to the Tang dyansty for several reasons. The general movement of the body is uncharacteristic of Tang tribhanga stance and is more of a full sway which is really a much more MIng to QIng period form. The head is oddly large for the image and not in keeping with Tang proportions. The position of the hand is a little awkward and does not flow, nor does it leave the confines of the stone block suggesting a later style of carving more connected with ivory and bamboo, than stone. Finally, I have seen many Wei to Tang-style Buddhas, Lokapalas and Stelae carved in this particular stone, all new in my opinion, and am very sceptical of works showing this material. It is much easier to carve than real marble and holds details easily, but is porous and chalky and not a lasting stone due to the inconsistent conglomeration and fissures.

Anthony M. Lee
Asian Art Research

Hi Joshua, could you please provide some info on the large vessel in the background in the picture?
I have a vessel, which i think is similar, and so far has not been able to identify the period or style...

This item looks like what's usually called a "Martaban" (sometimes rendered as "Martavan") jar, incongruously named for the Burmese port of Martaban but usually associated with food exports from China during the 18th and 19th centuries.

The "Arts of Asia" Sep-Oct 1992 issue contained an informative article on such jars found in the Philippines. While that issue is no longer available from the publisher, you may be able to acquire it from booksellers specializing in Asian topics or on eBay. Here's the title and author data:

1. MARTABAN JARS FOUND IN THE PHILIPPINES
BY : CYNTHIA ONGPIN VALDES
Sep-Oct 1992 Best regards,

Bill H.

Thanks Bill.
This was excavated in India about 90 years back and is in my friends family since then.
I have been researching this for a while.

I am glad i found this forum and i appreciate your willingness to share your knowledge on the subject.

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