A tall stone statue of Buddha standing on a disc base, with hair in tight curls and ushnisha, left hand in protective stance; slot for a separate right hand; mounted on a custom-made stand.

PROVENANCE:
Property of a central London gallery; acquired from a Somerset, UK, estate collection; formerly acquired on the UK art market in the 1990s; this lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by AIAD certificate number no.157167-10041.

LITERATURE:
See The Royal Academy of Arts, Return of the Buddha: The Qingzhou Discoveries, London, 2002, for discussion and close parallels.

FOOTNOTES:
The Northern Wei was the most powerful family to rule the northern dynasties prior to the reunification of China under the Sui and Tang dynasties, boasting impressive military prowess. The Tuoba tribesmen who founded the Wei dynasty after their takeover of the Shanxi province, adopted the ancient name Wei for their kingdom, establishing a capital at Pingcheng (present-day Datong.) Beguiled by the appeal of Chinese culture and society, the tribesmen eventually developed a taste for the luxuries characteristic of the Chinese upper classes. The most notable cultural contribution of the Wei dynasty was in Buddhist art.