CHINESE NORTHER WEI DYNASTY STONE TORSO

C. 386-534 AD. Northern Wei Dynasty. Chinese Norther Wei Dynasty Stone Torso. Skillfully carved with a tremendous amount of detail, the large, three-dimensional torso features elaborately rendered clothing and a beautifully carved tied belt. One hand is extended, probably holding a gather of fabric. The figure is shown standing on a plinth and dressed in long robes falling in neat symmetrical folds to the feet. The shoulders are draped with a simple shawl ending in long trailing ends tied in a knot across the chest. Long chains of clustered beads hang from the neck and are threaded through a large medallion edged with 'pearls' at the waist in front and with the same arrangement of beaded chains emerging from beneath the shawl in back where they hang over the simple lines of the pleated robes. The Northern Wei dynasty ruled northern China from c. 386 to 534 AD and its most famous achievement was unifying a large empire following a long period social and political turbulence. However, craftsmen working under this dynasty were also responsible for beautiful works of art, many of which relate to Buddhist religion, as this object exemplifies. Provenance: Private London collection of Asian Art; formerly in an old British collection. Acquired in Hong Kong in the early 1990s. Size: L:with stand: 810mm / W:270mm ; 50kg