China, 1127-1279. Finely modeled, the expressive face with a prominent brow above almond-shaped eyes, wide open and inset with black glass bead pupils, the nose slightly hooked above the open mouth showing teeth and forming a benevolent smile, applied overall with dark-brown lacquer.

Provenance: From the private collection of Paul Bentley, Wisconsin, USA. Paul M. Bentley was an executive at the advertising firm Cramer-Krasselt in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA. After his retirement he became also known as the owner, together with his wife Judith, of the world-famous ‘Crayola House’ on the edge of Lake Michigan, which was designed by Margaret McCurry. The Bentleys were lifelong collectors of folk art, American furniture, and Asian works of art.
Condition: Overall well preserved and commensurate with age, presenting nicely with extensive wear, crackle and flaking to lacquer, multiple layers of pigments of various dating, minor old repairs and touchups, small losses here and there, minor structural fissures, old traces of use, and weathering. Fine naturally grown patina.

Weight: 4,540 g
Dimensions: Height 35 cm (excl. stand) and 52 cm (incl. stand)

Mounted on an associated wood stand. (2)

Naturalistic and realistic qualities in Buddhist sculpture were particularly sought-after during the Song dynasty. The 'dry lacquer' technique, as seen on the present head, lends itself to expressive sculpture, and was capable of producing religious statues and portrayals with unprecedented levels of realism that no other material or technique could evoke.

The dry lacquer process involved first sculpting the figure in clay above a wooden model. Patches of lacquered hemp were then pasted onto the clay. These were then covered with further lacquer layers, which could be sculpted in greater detail and carved to give expressive qualities. Finally the surface was painted in polychrome pigments. In some examples, the original construction of wood and clay were hollowed out and removed after completion, leaving only the fragile skin of hemp and lacquer. Others, such as the present lot, were left to retain their wooden body. The number of extant Song dynasty religious images made in this complex and sophisticated technique is relatively low, largely due to the time-consuming and demanding production process as well the vulnerability of the lacquer material.

Auction result comparison: Compare a closely related dry-lacquered head, also dated to the Southern Song dynasty but slightly smaller (28 cm) and with the wood core removed to leave only the hollow head, at Sotheby’s New York in Junkunc: Chinese Buddhist Sculpture on 12 September 2018, lot 18, sold for USD 87,500.


南宋大型乾漆木雕羅漢頭像
中國，1127-1279年。刻畫細膩，杏仁狀眼上方眉毛突出，瞳孔內嵌黑色玻璃珠，鼻尖微勾，嘴巴張開露出牙齒，笑容慈祥，整體上深褐色漆。

來源：美國威斯康辛州Paul Bentley私人收藏。Paul M. Bentley 是美國威斯康辛州密爾沃基市廣告公司 Cramer-Krasselt 的一名高管。 退休後，他與妻子 Judith 一起成為世界知名的位於密西根湖邊、由 Margaret McCurry 設計“Crayola House”的主人。 Bentley家族一直是民間藝術、美國傢俱和亞洲藝術品的收藏家。
品相：整體保存良好並與年齡相稱，大面積磨損，漆面有裂紋和剝落，來自不同年代的多層顏料，輕微的舊時修補，多處缺損，輕微的結構裂縫，使用痕跡與風化。細膩的包漿。

重量：4,540 克
尺寸：高35 厘米 (不含底座)，總52 厘米 (含底座)

木底座。 (2)

拍賣結果比較：比較相近的南宋乾漆頭像 (28 厘米) ，去除木芯，見紐約蘇富比Junkunc: Chinese Buddhist Sculpture 2018年9月12日 lot 18, 售價USD 87,500。