NORTHERN WEI DYNASTY (386-534)

The style of the present figure is from the Gandhara-Mathura canon, and usually dates to the later 4th and 5th centuries before the imposition of the sinicised Northern Wei style. The earliest figure of this dhyani-type would appear to be the Brundage example dated C.E. 338, and illustrated by C. Deydier, Chinese Bronzes, 1981, col. pl. 111. Others in this style are usually attributed to the Six Dynasties such as the example in the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, with roaring lions, illustrated by H. Munsterberg, Chinese Buddhist Bronzes, New York, 1988, pl. 2; and the figure from the collection of Goto Shinshudo, sold at Christie’s New York, 14 September 2017, lot 803 (fig. 1).