Lot 30. A rare large iron bust of the Buddha, Tang-Ming Dynasty; 60cm (23 3/4in) high. Estimate £10,000 - 15,000. Sold for £ 87,500 (€ 100,513). © Bonhams.

Finely cast with eyes slightly down-turned in serene expression, dressed in long flowing robes with draping folds, loosely open at the bare chest, with a prominent usnisha formed from tightly coiled curls, stand.

Provenance: Stephen K.C. Lo, P.C.Lu Works of Art Ltd., Hong Kong, 25 April 1993
Jean-Yves Ollivier Collection.

Note: This remarkable sculpture evokes a profound spirituality through the fleshy serene face, finely detailed with broadly curving eyebrows, and the gently cascading ripples of the heavy drapery. Compare the facial features and garments of the present figure with a clay figure of a seated Buddha, Tang dynasty, from Dunhuang, in Gansu Province, illustrated in The complete collection of Chinese Art, vol.7 (Sculptures), Shanghai, 1987, p.88.

Bonhams. The Ollivier Collection of Early Chinese Art, London, 8 Nov 2018