Christie's. Important Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art, New York, 25 march 2022
A grey stone Buddhist stele, Eastern Wei dynasty (AD 534-550), dated by inscription to the 4th year of Tianping, corresponding t
Lot 738. A grey stone Buddhist stele, Eastern Wei dynasty (AD 534-550), dated by inscription to the 4th year of Tianping, corresponding to AD 537; 11 5⁄16 (28.7 cm.) high, Japanese wood box. Estimate USD 15,000 - USD 25,000. Price realised USD 17,640. © Christie's 2022
The stele is carved in high relief with the Buddha standing on a lotus base above two lions, with the right hand held in abhayamudra and the left hand in varadamudra, flanked by two bodhisattvas and with an apsara in flight above. The reverse is carved with a lengthy dedictory inscription.
Provenance: In Japan prior to 1966.
Literature: Saburo Matsubara, Chugoku bukkyo chokokushi ron (The Path of Buddhist Sculpture), vol. 1, Early Six Dynasties, Tokyo, 1995, p. 248, fig. b.
Saburo Matsubara, Chinese Buddhist Sculpture, Tokyo, 1966, p.106, fig. c.