19th Century Chinese Meditation Buddha Carved Statue

A beautiful antique Khmer hand carved wooden Buddhist figure. Originating in Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam or Thailand, 19th century or earlier, the exceptional Southeast Asian antique...

A monumental Hindu Nandi temple gate-guardian architectural ornament, born in India, dating to the 19th century, hand carved and painted, richly detailed, polychrome decorated, the wooden sculpture depicting Nandi, a sacred bull, gatekeeper, and vahana religious deity figure. Provenance: Acquired from The Neiman Marcus Corporate Art Collection. Details below. Dimensions: (approx) 49.5" x 43" x 12" An important religious folk art work, the Nandi is of carved wood and gessoed cloth, then hand-painted. In Hindu religion, Nandi is the mythical mount of Shiva. The four legs represent truth, righteousness, peace and love. More than a means of conveyance, Nandi is considered Shiva's constant companion on all his travels, so much so that in any temple dedicated to Shiva, there is a sculpture of Nandi. This symbol is a deity in its own right, and in India there are temples dedicated exclusively to Nandi. In Hindu symbolism, the bull represents both strength and ignorance. The white or light color of the bull symbolizes purity and justice. Symbolically, the seated Nandi towards sanctum in Shiva temples, represents an individual jiva (soul) and the message that the jiva should always be focused on the Parameshwara. From the yogic perspective, Nandi is the mind dedicated to Shiva, the absolute. In other words, to understand and absorb light, the experience, and the wisdom is Nandi, which is the guru within. The fact that Shiva uses it as a mount symbolizes how this divine figure removes ignorance while instilling strength and wisdom. A superb example, the life size work is in great overall shape, and presents wonderfully, having beautifully aged patina over the whole, highly desirable original, worn, rustic, naturally distressed, chippy paint, craquelure finish, that's delicate, and enhances the artistic antique character and rich historic depth. Detailed Condition Report: Fragile / delicate by design. Loss to one ear, age related checking and separation to carvings, fabric to hind quarters is released and tattered with minor loss, rubbing to paint throughout with wear indicative of age and use; later grey painted mounting blocks are attached to back and hooves. White glove in-home shipping/delivery available. Pickup available near Dallas, Texas Additional Provenance: Property from the Neiman Marcus Collection. Acquired from Heritage Auction, Design District Gallery, Dallas, Texas. From The Dallas Morning Newspaper; April 12th, 2021 Neiman Marcus is selling some of its history and valuables that have been displayed and stored for decades as part of the luxury retailer’s corporate art collection. The Neiman Marcus corporate art collection dates back to 1951, when Stanley Marcus (1905-2002), a life long avid art collector, purchased Mariposa, a large mobile by Alexander Calder and started a long tradition of buying original artwork for new stores as they opened. The Mariposa sold at a Sotheby’s auction last month fetching $18.2 million. The items are being offered through Sotheby's auction house, NYC, New York and Heritage Auction, Dallas, Texas. Many of the pieces were personally collected by Stanley Marcus from the 1960s through the 1980s. Some of the pieces are from corporate spaces, stores and the company’s archives, among the items are important antique textiles, tribal robes...

A scarce, high-quality antique Burmese jewel inlaid solid bronze chinthe sculpture. Dating to the late 19th century, likely originating in the Mandalay region of central Burma, the fearsome looking beast depicted in traditional Burmese iconography and important architecture, especially as a pair, the protective temple guardians placed flanking the entrances of Buddhist religious pagodas and monasteries. Burma; circa 1880 PROVENANCE: The estate of Mr. Wesley and Mrs. Suzanne LaFever, Beverly Hills, California. ACQUISITION: We acquired this outstanding example from the reputable auction house, Austin Auction Gallery, Austin, Texas. Fine Estates and Antiques catalog, December 2021 DESCRIPTION: Exquisitely sculpted and cast of heavy, patinated solid bronze, finely detailed and decorated throughout, intricately engraved with scrolling ornamentation and fine detailing work, old nicely aged polished finish developing a warm, mellow patina with highly desirable scattered verdigris, minor inlay losses add to the charming antique character. Stoic in stance, posed at attention proudly squatting back on its haunches, front legs straight, possibly roaring with head up and straight ahead, mouth ajar with teeth and long tongue exposed, ornate armor plating and horned mane, fanciful stylized tail, inset with Myanmar style brilliant colored mirrored glass jewels. BRIEF HISTORY / BACKGROUND: Predating the use of coins for money, brass weights cast in the shape of iconic animals like the Chinthe were commonly used to measure standard quantities of staple items. Chinthe, the Burmese word for lion, while leograph of Chinthe is an artistic highly stylized lion; the rare Southeast Asian Burmese equivalent to Foo Dogs, Japanese Komainu, Tibetan Snow Lion...

An exceptionally hand-carved antique Chinese soapstone spill vase - spill holder (see below), profusely decorated and intricately detailed naturalistic sc...