Antique Krisha Sculpture Statue

 Sometimes I buy things out of pure impulse, as if I'm compelled to, because I simply can't resist.  Such is the case with this antique bronze Krisha statue that  I found in a local antiques store awhile back, and although at the time I had no clue whatsoever that it was Krishna, I did immediately recognize it as something from India because of the peacocks perched in the tree, and it appealed to me as something different and unique for my collection, so I bought it mistakenly thinking that it's possibly a Buddhist figure, because at the time I was still learning about all the different various deities and personas in Buddhism.

Antique Chinese Carved Stone Buddha Head Statue, Or Not?

Not only do I collect Buddhist statues, figurines and other Buddhist relics, etc, but I also happen to also be Buddhist, although I do also follow the philosophies of Confucianism and Taoism as well, however, for the most part, I consider myself a secular Buddhist, although I do regularly chant many mantra while meditating, such as om mani padme hum, and nam myoho renge kyo, etc..   I have only been on this path actively and seriously for the last 16 months now, however, did previously consider and question Buddhism, so I am still learning more and more each day and haven't yet decided on any specific tradition, sect, etc although I am leaning more towards those of Mahayana traditions even though Esoteric and other schools are appealing.  I find various aspects of many forms of Buddhism fascinating, therefore, have not been able to settle for just one single form.  I initially began exploring Soto Zen, but shortly thereafter progressed to Mahayana.


.   For the past year now I have been wanting a carved stone Buddha head, but could not find any locally.    Certainly there's an abundance of them available online, yet they tend to be pricey, and often I get the feeling that the seller or dealer is making very deceptive claims in order to inflate their selling price.   I for some reason chose not to buy one online, something I rarely do anyway, because I would much rather see the item in person when making a purchase.

So, yesterday afternoon I went out on a treasure hunt and visited some antique shops to see what I could find, and among the few items I purchased was this carved stone Buddha head statue, however, can I assume it's an antique just because it came from an antiques store?  Afterall, the dealer had no freaking clue, as usual, how old it was, nor anything else specific about it, other than "it's Chinese"... and considering the fact that he had about a half dozen of them, all of them very similar to each other,  perhaps maybe they're not really that old.   I honestly don't know.

The carved stone Buddha head stature is 5 1/2" high and weighs a few pounds.  I don't know the exact weight since I do not have a scale, but it feels like at least a few pounds, maybe up to 5;bs, but that's just a guess.








  So, wanting to know the going price for these carved stone Buddha head statues and trying to figure out how old my carved stone Buddha head might be, I began looking around, because I'm very curious by nature, I love learning, and need to know as much as I can about each and every piece in my collection.


I was shocked to see one very similar to mine on eBay with a buy it now of $799, and it's nearly identical to the one I have.   The seller says it is made of Chinese Schist stone, a mixture of quartz and gray stone.  Whether he is correct or not, I have no idea, but I'm curious to know whether or not mine is also Schist stone, and if not, what kind of stone is it?.    On this particular listing for the carved stone Buddha head, the seller claims it is 18th century Qing dynasty and claims it is from 1750s to early 1800s.. and then he claims it is an "uncommon piece",  yet, if uncommon, why did I find at least 6 nearly identical ones in a single store, and then there's another nearly identical one from in eBayer located in China, claiming it to be "old" and selling for $129, and then there's a US based eBayer who has sold multiple carved stone Buddha heads, and has a currently active listing for another one at $39.49 with free shipping, and it's listed as being "new".

  So, the question is, is my carved stone Buddha head an antique or not?  Come to think of it, is it actually carved, or is it possible to be cast from mold using some form of liquid stone mix that hardens much like how concrete works?  How exactly does one even determine the age and or period of carved stone anyway?  I have no idea, nor do I particularly care, well I do, sort of, but the most important thing for me was to have a stone Buddha head, regardless of how old it is, and that's what matters to me....  but I'd still like to know if it's an antique or not, because if it is, I'd possibly consider buying the other 5 for resale considering the prices some of them are listed for, or even to use as trading for other antiques, etc... but more important than that is to document its age and value etc for my future estate since everything I own will be left to my daughter.

Here's the carved stone Buddha heads on eBay that I refer to in this post:

Faux Ivory Asian Empress Celluloid Statue

There's a local antiques shop I visit once in a while, however, it is a rare occasion when I purchase anything from this particular shop because her prices are astronomically high and in my opinion, are more than the item's actually worth or would realize at auction.  

Over the past year, each time I visited, I pondered over whether or not to purchase this faux ivory celluloid statue, or perhaps figurine would be a better word since it's only 13 3/4" high, and each time I passed on it due to the price.

I have a particular affinity for the Buddhist bodhisattva of compassion Guanyin, aka Kwan Yin, and thought perhaps this statue was a Japanese representation of her, so I haggled with her since I was not willing to pay her $50 asking price, yet did want the statue, so offered her $25 for it and she obliged, however, after purchase and doing some research, it appears that the figure is not of Kwan Yin, but an empress, or empress dowager.

  I thought this celluloid statue could be Kwan Yin because she stands on a lotus, something that's traditionally associated with Buddhist icons, and also that her left hand appears to be in Abhaya mudra, yet, the fact that she bears a wrapped gift has thrown me off since I have never seen, nor ever heard of any representations of Guanyin carrying a wrapped gift, nor is there any similar symbolism in Buddhism that I am aware of, so that concludes that the figure is not of Kwan Yin, but of an empress.    Having done a little further research, I believe I have the answer as to why this figure stands on a lotus, and that is because many past empresses have become Buddhist nuns after their tenure as empress.

I originally thought the statue was Japanese in origin, but having asked around for assistance in identifying and translating the marks, it appears that it may not be Japanese.   One source told me that it's sloppy and a mess, making it difficult to translate, and another via Asian Art Forums, one of those self proclaimed "expert" types with no credibility claims that it's fake Japanese writing, so, as a result, I'm unable to determine its origins.  Not that he may not be correct, just the manner in which it was stated, which appeared hostile to me, and the fact that he has no history on the forum other than one similar hostile comment to another user.

Maybe it's Korean, or perhaps Chinese, or even European made as another user in another post on Asian Art Forums thinks it was made in Italy, although that possibility raises yet another question, if so, why would they put "fake" Japanese writing on it.  Perhaps the person carving the mold was illiterate, or perhaps it's the maker's "style", although very unlikely.

This celluloid statue leaves me with so many unanswered questions, nevertheless, I do like the piece very much, regardless of its age or origins.

The statue is affixed to a painted ceramic base, has a 2 character marking on the back that appears to look similar to でが, translated as dega(s), yet makes no sense whatsoever, and the strokes are way off, so I seriously doubt that's what it is. On the bottom is another marking, which nobody has been able to decipher.

I believe it's 1920s - 1940s.

If anyone reading this has answers for me, please do comment.

pp 27 est?