Tang Dynasty Limestone Bodhisattva Torso

Property of a Southern California collection, acquired from local estate sales during 1980s - 1990s

Head missing, broken at the neck, right forearm missing with exposed mortise, left arm broken just below the shoulder, legs missing with large broken edge to the rear. The torso broken in two pieces and repaired at the mid line, all remaining details and carving in very fine condition. With scratches, abrasions, and residue throughout, beautiful veining in the stone.

The graceful figural movement found in Tang dynasty sculpture that had developed in the late 600's is a classic example of the type of realistic representation heavily influenced by the sculptural art of India during the Gupta period (320–647). The marked tribhanga or ‘triple-bent’ stance, which is not seen in Buddhist sculpture pre-dating the Tang dynasty (618 – 906) is generally assumed to derive from Indian dance and theatre postures. This unprecedented interest in the human form marks a departure from the rigid and symmetrical Chinese Buddhist sculpture of the preceding periods.

For a comparable example in languid pose, with diagonal scarf, jewellery and elaborately pleated skirt see Standing Bodhisattva, late 7th-early 8th century, The Ruth Ann Dayton Chinese Room Endowment Fund 2007.18, Minneapolis Museum of Art.