A Chinese Carved Limestone Head of a Luohan

Song dynasty (960-1279), limestone finely carved head, sharply arched and full eyebrows above narrow half-closed eyes, a scrolling moustache issuing from the nose and curving across the cheeks, deep creased to forehead, calm expression with mouth in a slight smile, presented mounted on a pole display stand, with a Christie's label to stand.

15 1/2 x 8 x 8 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 before 1997.


For a limestone carving of a Luohan head from the Tang dynasty, see the Metropolitan Museum of Art (60.73.1) For sculptures dating to the Song- Ming dynasty at auction, see Christie's, September 22, 2023, Lot 926 and Sotheby's, September 12, 2018, Lot 14.

Scattered areas of stable cracking; small loss to right ear; surface with extensive weathering, encrustation, and age wear throughout; a few small scuffs to stand.