A marble carving of two disciples together with a limestone fragment of Buddha's head

The disciples, dated by inscription to AD 587 and of the period; the head, Northern Wei Dynasty

The disciples, dated by inscription to AD 587 and of the period; the head, Northern Wei Dynasty
The disciples carved kneeling in front of a large lotus-petal arch above a rectangular plinth with carved inscription; the Buddha's head with serenely-downcast eyes beneath heavy lids and arched brows, the straight nose above gently curving lips, all between long pendulous ears, mounted on a wood plaque. The disciples group, 16.7cm (6 1/2in) high; Buddha's head, 8cm (3 1/8in) high. (2).

587年 理石雕雙脅侍像 及 北魏 石雕佛首像 一組兩件

Provenance: P.-L. Mercanton, Switzerland (the marble disciples)
Dr Melanie Stiassny, bequeathed to the below in 1966 (the Buddha head)
Mrs Gret Hasler (1895-1971), Winterthur, Switzerland, and thence by descent

A trip to New York, Chicago and Washington in 1937 was the starting point for Mrs Gret Hasler's interest in Chinese art. This she continued until the Second World War by acquiring objects from dealers in Paris, Sweden and New York.

來源：瑞士學者P.-L. Mercanton舊藏（理石雕像）
Melanie Stiassny博士舊藏，於1966年遺贈與Gret Hasler夫人（石雕佛首）
瑞士溫特圖爾Gret Hasler夫人（1895-1971）舊藏，並由後人保存迄今

Gret Hasler夫人對中國藝術的興趣始於1937年的紐約、芝加哥和華盛頓之行。此後，她持續自巴黎、瑞典和紐約的古董商處購藏藝術品，直至第二次世界大戰後。

The inscription on the stele reads: '開皇七年七月十五日張士X為主父見在世造白X像一區...' which may be translated as: 'On the fifteenth day of the seventh month of the seventh year of the Kaihuang era,... has made this for his father, who lives in the world, the white statue....'

Compare with a related stone Buddhist stele, 6th/7th century, of similar size (15.2cm high) which was sold at Christie's New York, 24 September 2020, lot 906.