A
STANDING, POLYCHROME WOOD TORSO OF A BODHISATTVA
Five dynasties
907-1125 AD
China
The bodhisattva, now missing both legs and the arms
from the elbows down, stands in tribhanga
- the body weight placed on one leg. The other leg
is pushed slightly forward, with a dhoti tied low
around the hips and secured by a sash at the front
- leaving the stomach sensuously exposed, in the
Indian manner. The torso itself is bare except for
a scarf that crosses the chest from the left shoulder
to the right hip, and a beaded necklace - the jewellery
matching the armbands around each bicep. The head
faces forward with down cast eyes and glass pupils,
the mouth is pert, and the ears elongated in the
princely fashion. The hair is raised high over the
head in a chignon of collected braids.
Height: 51” / 129.5 cm
Similar example: a Stucco sculpture of a bodhisattva
dated to between 712 and 781 is illustrated in
the Chinese art sculpture section in, ’Dunghuang
Polychrome Sculpture’ vol. 7, page 144.
This piece is remarkably similar in the hairstyle,
jewellery design, and the scarf that crosses the
body - leaving the stomach exposed above a low-slung
dhoti. The one detail that differs is the shape
of the eyes, which have a greater slant and movement
in the wood figure - a detail which one associates
more with a slightly later style.
‘China 5000 Years’, Guggenheim Museum
1998 - figures 173 & 174: these two sculptures
are dated to the Tang dynasty.
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