Country Group: China, Japan and Korea

Item id: 6518

A large and early Chinese Bodhisattva from a century-old US collection. Based on the face, style, look of the wood, and poly-chrome, it is likely that this piece may be as early as the 11/12th century, and is likely no later than the 13/14th Century There were excellent emulations made in the 19th and early 20thC, but due to the provenance of this one, it is more likely that it has an early dating. It was purchased just over 135 years ago by an (American) family living in China, where they lived in the late 19th/early 20th century as international merchants. It was shipped to the US in the 1930s, where it sat in storage for 85 years until recently when the grandson (in his 80s when I bought several items from him (now close to 30 years ago) he opened the storage unit and decided to disburse much of the collection. It is in good condition, as can be seen in the photos - most of the original polychrome remains. There is a loss to the crown (which originally contained 3 Buddhas), loss and splits to the ribbons, and missing hands. Otherwise, it is in remarkable condition for such an early wooden sculpture. Extremely lightweight wood. See photos for other minor losses. Also missing their original hands. It is near life-size at a full 32.5 inches tall by 23 inches wide by close to 17 inches deep. We will work closely with the winner on shipping. We are participating in LiveAuctioneer's new seamless Shipping program. We will work with international winners to find an appropriate local shipping resource if we cannot ship ourselves.