Page 148 - Chinese works of art and paintings, March 19 Bonhams

8186 8187

8186 8187
A RARE STONE HEAD OF A LUOHAN A LIMESTONE FIGURE OF A LION
10th-13th century Ming dynasty
Carved in the round with great detail, the shaved head with wizened Carved resting on its haunches with its front paws clutching a ribbon-
face portrayed with deeply lined forehead and brow, heavily-lidded tied brocade ball, the mouth open in a wide grin to reveal two rows of
downcast eyes, high cheek bones and straight nose, the mouth teeth, the ears laying flat against the curly mane, wearing a collar tied
opened in a smile to reveal rows of teeth, framed by wrinkles in a bow at the neck suspending a bell at the front, supported on a
extending towards the long pendulous earlobes, the surface of the rectangular plinth carved with floral motifs.
stone heavily pitted, wood stand. 11in (28cm) high
8in (20.2cm) high
$1,000 - 1,500
$6,000 - 8,000
明 石雕獅戲綉球像
十至十三世紀 石雕羅漢首像
Provenance
Koko Chinese Antiques, New York, 2006
The head likely a depiction of the luohan Kasyapa. Kasyapa was one
of the principal disciples of Sakyamuni Buddha and is often portrayed
together with Ananda, flanking the Buddha. This arrangement is
commonly found in caves dating from the Northern Wei dynasty
(386-535), as seen in the Central Binyang Cave at Longmen,
illustrated in A. Falco Howard, Li Song, Wu Hung and Yang Hong,
Chinese Sculpture, New Haven, 2006, p. 238, fig. 3.39. This
standard iconographic arrangement continued through the Sui, Tang,
Liao and Song dynasties.

A similar Song dynasty example was sold at Sotheby’s, Hong Kong,
5 April 2016, lot 2835; and another from J.T. Tai & Co. was sold at
Sotheby’s, New York, 22 March 2011, lot 270.

146 | BONHAMS