Bidspirit auction | Stylized votive Bodhisattva, Tang Chinese


Stylized votive Bodhisattva, Tang Chinese school, 7th-9th century - Bronze with archaeological patina. Measures 11 cm in height. Votive figure with a schematic, perforated silhouette, conceived through extreme stylization that accentuates the verticality and spiritual character of the representation. The figure is crowned with a tall headdress or topknot, with one arm raised, possibly holding an attribute now eroded. The open structure creates organic voids around the body that evoke a mandorla or abstract halo. The surface exhibits mineral oxidation and an earthy patina associated with prolonged burial. The formal simplification and almost graphic dimension of the figure are reminiscent of small Buddhist votive offerings intended for devotional contexts or reliquaries during the Tang Dynasty. The piece stands out for its expressive power, condensing spirituality and abstraction into a sculptural formulation of great visual rarity. 11 cm.