A Chinese Carved Stone Standing Buddha

Tang dynasty (618-907), finely carved standing figure of Buddha the rests atop a separate carved lotus pedestal, the Buddha is depicted with a serene expression, elongated earlobes, and hair arranged in stylized curls surmounted with a domed ushnisha knot, his right hand raised in abhaya mudra, he wears a voluminous monastic robe the cascading drapery rendered in rhythmic folds characteristic of early Buddhist sculpture.

23 3/4 x 6 1/4 x 6 1/4 in.

From the Collection of Adrienne and John C. Maxwell, Jr. John C. Maxwell Jr. assembled one of the most distinguished private collections of Asian art in the American South, with a particular focus on Chinese, Korean, and Japanese works spanning antiquity through the late imperial period. A financier and respected market analyst by profession, Maxwell developed his interest in Asian art during his military service in Korea in the early 1950s. What began as personal study evolved into a lifelong commitment to collecting, scholarship, and connoisseurship.

The collection formed by Maxwell and his wife Adrienne reflects Maxwell’s highly analytical eye and preference for works possessing strong historical character, refined craftsmanship, and clear cultural significance. Numerous objects from the collection together with their private library of 1,200 scholarly Asian art journals and books were gifted to the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, where they became part of the museum’s Maxwell East Asian Collection.

Weisbrod Chinese Art Ltd., New York
Purchased from the above in 1998.

Right hand with loss to fingers; surface mark or possible stone striation wrapping body and one to base of figure; the whole with allover nicks and chips; weathering and traces of mineral encrustation throughout.

Schedule Preview