Huge 6th C. Chinese Wei Stone Stele - Buddha Amithaba

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Exceptional Antiquities, Asian, Ethnographic

By Artemis Gallery

Feb 13, 2020

Set Reminder 2020-02-13 10:00:00 2020-02-13 10:00:00 America/New_York Bidsquare Bidsquare : Exceptional Antiquities, Asian, Ethnographic https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/artemis-gallery/exceptional-antiquities-asian-ethnographic-4848
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• Lot Description
  East Asia, China, Northern Wei Dynasty, ca. 386 to 534 CE. A monumental stone stele of an overall rectangular form with a small crown on top, hand carved with a scene of the Western Paradise honoring the Buddha Amitabha who sits with crossed legs upon a lotus throne and hands in the Abhaya Mudra of fearlessness. The Buddha figure is dressed in a voluminous robe falling in cascading folds and undulating pleats - a characteristic feature of Chinese Buddhist sculpture of the Northern Wei period. He and his attendant bodhisattvas are backed by a mandorla with additional bodhisattvas above the mandorla and occupying niches in the four registers below. In China, Buddhist stelae emerged as significant sculptural works during the Northern Wei period. The stele was a means for observant Buddhists to express their devotion and ensure life in the hereafter. Size: 9" L x 42" W x 77" H (22.9 cm x 106.7 cm x 195.6 cm); 98" H (248.9 cm) on included custom stand. Custom stand measures 49" L x 93" W x 21" H (124.5 cm x 236.2 cm x 53.3 cm)
  
  Stelae were upright stone tablets engraved with imagery and/or inscriptions that serves as a honorable monument or marker. In the context of Buddhism, stelae were regarded as a pious act in the Mahayana tradition. Hence, in the Northern Wei period and subsequent Wei dynasties in China, donors oftentimes commissioned the creation of stele in order to attain spiritual merit.
  
  See a similar stele (object number B60S73) in the collection of the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco, California (object number B60S73+). According to the curatorial team, "Steles such as this were frequently ordered by several families as a collective act of piety."
  
  Provenance: private Karming Wong collection; approximate date of acquisition: late 1970 / early 1980, purchased from a dealer in Hong Kong - The Stele was boxed and stored until 1996, when the piece was moved vertically into a wooden stand filled with concrete. The stele was also transferred to the family Karming's Trust upon Karming Wong's death in 2012.
  
  All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.
  
  A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.
  
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  #138612

  Condition

  The overall condition of the stone stele is excellent, save some expected age wear including a few abrasions (left side), chips (right side), and losses (front bottom right, top left, and crown) reflected in the photos. The stele rests within a stand comprised of wood and concrete. It is possible to remove the stele from the stand, but would require a professional with heavy equipment.
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