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Expert’s note
The pensive bodhisattva depicted at the front of this figure’s crown is a rarely seen detail that offers clues as to the sculpture’s subject. The theme is characteristic of the Longmen complex and commonly associated with Maitreya, see an example sold at Sotheby’s New York, 19-20 March 2007, lot 503, for USD 1,361,600. According to Denise Patry Leidy and Donna Strahan, “this so-called pensive pose was frequently used for bodhisattvas, particularly in the late fifth and mid-sixth centuries, and often, though not always, identifies the subject as Maitreya” (see Wisdom Embodied: Chinese Buddhist and Daoist Sculpture in The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 2010, p. 13). It is believed that Maitreya will eventually appear on earth, achieve complete enlightenment and teach the pure dharma. The prophecy of the arrival of Maitreya is found in the canonical literature of all Buddhist sects including the Theravada, Mahayana, and Vajrayana. No other head of this type with a crown centered by a pensive bodhisattva appears to be recorded in public or private collections, making the present lot a particularly rare example.
China, 386-535. The slender face, with its softly modeled, fleshy features, bears a serene, meditative expression, distinguished by heavy-lidded eyes set beneath gently arched brows, a slender nose, full lips forming a subtle smile, and a small, well-defined chin. The visage is flanked by long, pendulous ears adorned with elongated earrings, while the hair is neatly arranged in a centrally parted coiffure and surmounted by a tall headdress, centered by a diminutive image of a pensive bodhisattva carved in high relief, flanked on either side by a large flowerhead.
Provenance: French trade. By repute acquired from a private estate in northern France.
Condition: Good condition with expected wear, traces of weathering and erosion, obvious losses, occasional small chips, some of which have smoothed over centuries of exposure, and few minor old fills. The stone with a fine, naturally grown patina.
Weight: 2.1 kg (incl. stand)
Dimensions: Height 24.8 cm (excl. stand), 37.7 cm (incl. stand)
With a modern stand. (2)
This graceful head of a bodhisattva shows the characteristic crown of the Northern Wei period, and displays particularly close similarities with figures of Maitreya and bodhisattvas from the Gongxian and Longmen caves complexes in Henan province, both commissioned by the Northern Wei imperial family. These impressive imperial sculpture projects influenced the development of Buddhist sculpture during the Northern Wei period onward.
Figures of this type were made to represent the ideal beauty of the time, with stylized facial features characterized by a pronounced narrow and elongated head, with small, neat linear facial features all frequently surmounted by a high crown, further emphasizing the linearity of the sculpture. The result is an ethereal quality, representing the purest form of the ideal of Buddhist spiritual enlightenment.
The style of the image is most consistent with the sculpture of the Longmen Grottoes, near Luoyang, Henan Province. Beginning in 493 AD. and lasting almost four hundred years, Chinese imperial patronage at Longmen transformed the site into a richly endowed complex with over 2,300 caves and niches in cliff walls adorned with sculptures. In the early twentieth century some sculptures and fragments were removed from Longmen and entered the international antiquities market without identification. Scholars today are conducting research to see if the original location of these sculptures at Longmen can be determined
The Northern Wei dynasty was a period of political turbulence and profound social and cultural transformation. In this context, the messianic figure of Maitreya (Mile Pusa) was especially revered. Believed to descend to earth once the teachings of the historical Buddha had been forgotten, Maitreya would preach the dharma anew and inaugurate an era of peace. His popularity among Buddhist patrons inspired striking images in several distinctive poses. The best-known is the so-called ‘pensive bodhisattva,’ seated with the right leg crossed over the left knee, the right arm raised, and the fingers gently touching the cheek of a head tilted slightly in the same direction.
Literature comparison:
Compare a related, much larger head of a bodhisattva, dated to the early 6th century, 54.1 cm high, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, object number 18.56.40. Compare a related larger head of a bodhisattva, dated to the late 5th century, 35.6 cm high, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, object number 42.25.11.
Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Christie’s New York, 18 March 2009, lot 348
Price: USD 92,500 or approx. EUR 126,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A dark grey stone head of a Bodhisattva, Northern Wei dynasty (386-584), Longmen caves
Expert remark: Compare the closely related modeling, manner of carving, stone, and size (24.5 cm).
Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Sotheby’s Hong Kong, 5 May 2026, lot 310
Price: HKD 844,800 or approx. EUR 93,500 converted at the time of writing
Description: A stone head of a bodhisattva, Northern Wei dynasty
Expert remark: Compare the closely related modeling, manner of carving, and stone. Note the size (19 cm).
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