Tête De Bouddha En Pierre Sculptée.Travail Asiatique Ancien.Baba-Nyonya Peranakan

Very hard stone sculpture, perhaps limestone, representing a Buddha's head. The complete deity was life-size, probably installed in a temple for Buddhist worship. The style does not correspond to anything known. The mouth with thick lips, the flat nose and the large eyes are not Far Eastern. However, the curly hairstyle is identical to those worn by all Buddhas of the Chinese Tang period around the 8th century. The naivety of the sculpture and the clumsiness of execution make it an exceptional creation. This is probably the work of an improvised amateur sculptor who sculpted this statue to the best of his ability. This lack of mastery is disturbing and moving and raises questions. This is probably a work commissioned by Chinese expatriates far from the mother country and who would have built a religious complex of circumstance? From the 14th century these expatriates were called "Baba-Nyonya" or "Peranakan", but it is obvious that Chinese expatriated well before. The former owners, French colonists, had stayed throughout Africa and in particular in Madagascar, from where they could have brought back this statue, which would explain the Negroid features.
Height of the stone alone 35cm. Small accidents visible on photos, no repair.