Asianart.com | Associations | Articles | Exhibitions | Galleries

This stone carving is of a man with a head covering sitting down. Not sure who the figure is supposed to be or the stone used or any ideas on age. Your help would be much appreciated! Thanks in advance!

Hi,

Pretty sure that's terracotta. It looks like a monk. It looks pretty old, maybe pre-1900?

Thanks John, Terracotta makes sense. I was hoping maybe older than that but much apreciated.

Thanks again John. Very much appreciate the help!

Hey John,
I just noticed what I presume to be a signature in the base. Attached are a few photos. Any ideas on who this might be?

Hi,

I have some small figures in my personal collection which I'd say are pretty similar and comparable. They represent various Japanese deities dating back to the Edo period (1604-1868). These were housed in small shrines.

I also found this online doing a search which looks rather like yours. The seller claims that it's 16th century.

It can however be very difficult to date these things precisely. I can't comment on the exact age but it does feel old, albeit maybe more Himalayan judging by the headgear? I've seen some Lamas that look similar.

Unfortunately, I can't seem to read that character. Maybe it's my poor kanji but it doesn't look like Japanese/Chinese script to me.

Hope this helps.

Hi John,
Thanks so much for all the info. When my mom purchased it, she was told it was a Tibetan Lama from the mid-18th century. Based on what you are saying, that could be very accurate.

Asianart.com | Associations | Articles | Exhibitions | Galleries |