"Tête De Bouddha En Pierre Sculptée.travail Asiatique Ancien."
Very hard stone sculpture, perhaps limestone, representing a Buddha's head. The complete deity was life-size, probably installed in a Buddhist temple. The style does not correspond to anything known. The thick-lipped mouth, flat nose, and large eyes are not Far Eastern. However, the curly hairstyle is identical to those worn by all the Buddhas of the Chinese Tang period around the 8th century. The naivety of the sculpture, the clumsiness of execution make it an exceptional creation. This is probably the work of an improvised amateur sculptor who sculpted this statue as well as possible. This lack of control is disturbing and moving and raises questions. Is it the work of a modest village in the vast china or of Chinese expatriates far from china and who have built a religious ensemble for the occasion? The tropical hardwood base added late, probably around 1900, could give us an indication, indeed this type of base was used in Indonesia to support ancient sculptures.
Height of the stone alone 35cm.