A Chinese Carved Stone Head of a Guardian Figure

Tang dynasty (618-907), carved with a powerful fierce expression, bulging eyes beneath sharply arched brows, a broad nose, and an open mouth revealing teeth, the head with a small rounded knob at top with hair pattern, the head is framed by elongated ears, raised on a pole mount for display.

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.

A few scattered nicks and stable hairlines; the stone surface extensively weathered with mineral accretions wear consistent with age; a few small scuffs to stand.

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