Northern Qi Dynasty Painted Sandstone Shakyamuni Buddha Head,6th century Chinese Northern Dynasties stone Buddhist sculpture

拍品描述

Dimensions:Height 47cm(18.50in),Width 38cm(14.96in),6th century Northern Qi sandstone Buddha carvingCondition & Provenance:The Buddha head remains fully intact with complete spiral hair, facial features and earlobes. Only the bottom neck break shows ancient natural fracture, no modern chips, cracks or restoration splicing. Original vermilion pigment survives on the cranial protuberance, urna between brows and lips, no later repainted or added pigment. This sculpture was part of a private collection owned by a veteran Buddhist art collector based in San Francisco, California, USA, acquired from a long-established antique Buddhist gallery in Bangkok back in 2017. Surviving Northern Qi sandstone Buddha heads are extremely rare, this well-preserved head with original pigment serves as a benchmark specimen of Northern Dynasties Buddhist stone art.Description:This Shakyamuni Buddha head is carved from a single block of sandstone during Northern Qi dynasty, representing the canonical style of Northern Dynasties grotto sculptures. The cranial protuberance sits high atop the head, covered with neatly arranged dense spiral hair curls with defined layered textures, a vermilion pigment dot remains at the center of the protuberance. The facial form is soft and rounded, embodying the iconic Northern Qi aesthetic of plump gentle facial contours with subtle serene smile. Slender arched eyebrows stretch smoothly, half-lidded eyes convey calm meditative contemplation, broad straight nose pairs with soft lip lines coated with large areas of original ancient red pigment, the mouth curves with quiet compassionate bliss. A circular carved urna spot with original red paint sits centered on the forehead. The ears are elongated and broad, heavy earlobes reaching the jawline, fulfilling one of Buddha’s thirty-two auspicious marks. The sandstone surface bears natural millennia-long weathering, covered with warm earthy yellow patina and natural textured stone grain without artificial aging treatment. The rough cut base is the ancient break from the full standing Buddha statue from a historic temple complex. Northern Qi Buddhist art departed from the slender sharp features of Northern Wei works, adopting soft plump humanized aesthetics. This Buddha head perfectly captures the tranquil mild aura of Northern Qi Buddhist statuary, and surviving original pigment makes it exceptionally scarce. It holds tremendous academic value for researching Northern Dynasties Buddhist art, stone carving craft and ancient pigment techniques, ranking as a top-tier collectible for private Buddhist art collections and professional art museum exhibition.

图片