Lot 3609. Property of the MQ Collection. A very rare limestone head of Buddha, Northern Zhou - Sui dynasty (557-618); 40 cm. Lot Sold 3,556,000 HKD (Estimate 2,800,000 - 6,090,000 HKD) © Sotheby's 2025

Provenance : Collection of Alan and Simone Hartman, New York, prior to 1974.

Collection of the Minnesota Museum of Art (now the Minnesota Museum of American Art), acquired in January 1974.

Li Yin Oriental Art, Taipei, 1996.

Literature: Artist Magazine , Taipei, September 1997, p. 239.

Cao Qianli, Zhongguo gudai foxiang / Ancient Chinese Buddhist Sculptures , Hangzhou, 2004, p.76

Exhibited: The Splendour of Buddhist Statuaries: Buddhist Stone Carvings in the Northern Dynasties , Museum of History, Taipei, 1997, cat. no. 054.

Note: The large size of the present head is indicative of what once must have been a grand and imposing figure. Exceptionally carved with a rounded, full face accentuated with almond-shaped eyes and gently upturned lips, all below gracefully arched brows and an urna , the current head is a superb sculptural example from the Northern Zhou to Sui dynasty that arguably bridges the aesthetics of the Northern Wei and Tang dynasties.

The Northern Zhou dynasty (557-581) was founded by the Xianbei Yuwen clan and established its capital in Chang'an. After conquering the Northern Qi dynasty in 577, the Northern Zhou dynasty unified northern China but was overthrown in 581 by Yang Jian (Emperor Wen of Sui, r. 581-604) who founded the Sui dynasty (581–618 CE) and reunified China. Although the transitional period between Northern Zhou and Sui was short-lived, it marked a significant phase in the evolution of Buddhist art, particularly sculpture, bridging earlier styles and later developments with distinctive characteristics.

Stylistic influences from the Gupta dynasty of India (c. 319-550) are evident in Northern Zhou dynasty Buddhist sculptures, such as the large proportions of the figures and even details such as the coiled ushnisha . It has been suggested by Chang Qing that Northern Zhou dynasty Buddhist sculptures are often characterized by a low ushnisha , rounded cheeks, and closely spaced facial features—all of which are evident in the present example. For more information, see Chang Qing, 'The Model of Buddhist Art from Northern Zhou (557~581 CE) Chang'an Area and Its Transmission', Journal of Art History Studies , no. 49, 2020, p. 18.

The 'Five Buddhas of Northern Zhou', each measuring approximately 2 meters in height, were unearthed in Wanzi village in Xi'an and are now preserved in the Beilin Museum, Xi'an. Dated to the second year of the Daxiang period (580), they serve as important references to the Northern Zhou sculptural characteristics. The facial structure, ushinisha and facial features of the current head are similar to one of the Five Buddhas of the Northern Zhou, illustrated in Buddhist Sculpture in the Xi'an Beilin Museum , pp. 88–89. See also a Sui dynasty Buddha head in the National Museum of China, Beijing, which bears many similarities with the current piece, including the urna between the brows.

A similar but smaller standing figure of Buddha is preserved in the Tokyo National Museum, Tokyo, no. TC-20. Like the current piece, it bears a small square mortise hole at the back of the head, possibly for attachment to a niche. It is dated to the Sui dynasty by the museum but the Northern Zhou – Sui dynasty in Japan's National Institutes for Cultural Heritage database.

Sotheby's. Chinese Art, Hong Kong, 7 May 2025