Posted By: Kevin
Posted Date: Jun 06, 2007 (06:43 PM)
Offering for sale this spectacular White Limestone Buddhist Relief. From the vicinity of Qingzhou, Shandong Province, China. Northern Wei Period, c. 386 - 534 AD.
A monumental white limestone mandala relief dating to China�s Northern Wei dynasty. Represented are expressive and joyful Buddha and Bodhisattva figures in near full relief. They stand serenely beneath two finely carved Apsara or winged spirit figures. Both the larger Buddha and smaller Bodhisattva figures are elegantly robed and presented in the Varandra Mudra posture with the left hand open, palm out, fingers pointed downward. This symbolic posture is usually associated with compassion and boon-giving. The reverse features over one hundred Chinese characters naming the thirty-seven donors to this statue�s construction who hoped to attain spiritual merit through their commission. Mounted on a solid black granite base
Provenance Jonathan Tucker, London. This piece is most likely a run-away from the legendary Quingzhou Hoard of China�s Shandong Province. Comparable pieces are pictured on plates 1-6 in the 2001 Hong Kong Museum of art publication �Buddhist Sculptures: New Discoveries from Quingzhou, Shandong Province.�
Available for viewing in New York City.
