Chinese Bodhisattva carved stone head, 6th century AD. Chinese Stone Head Of Buddha, carved stone Bodhisattva head with serene expression, downcast eyes and full lips flanked by elongated ears, the Buddha with tiara, with hole 17-mm deep to head back. There are two birds, sitting on each brow. Birds may have meaning of purity and high spiritual values, which Bodhisattva achieved during meditation. Age: Attributed to Northern and Southern dynasties (386-589 AD) or Sui Dynasty (581-618 AD); Height: 4 in. = 11.5 cm; Width; 3 in. = 9 cm; Weight: 1 lb. 12 oz. = 800 g; Condition: fine, some wear and insignificant scratches. There is a fixed stable horizontal crack at the base of the head, all the way around the neck.Provenance: From a prominent Atlanta Collection. Originally came from the Collection of Henry Francis Thompson. Henry Thompson an importer of Asian Art and antiques and co-founder of the Bollentin and Thompson oriental Rugs, acquired the artifacts during several round the world trips to and after World War I, between 1900 and 1920. The items on this auction were left to Thompsons son - Charles Rose Thompson. A graduate of the Princeton University, Charles Rose Thompson, briefly lent the collection to the Princeton University Art Museum in the 1960's. Later, it has remained in his collection until his death in 1975. References: Chan (simplified Chinese: 禅; traditional Chinese: 禪; pinyin: Chán; abbr. of Chinese: 禪那; pinyin: chánnà), from Sanskrit dhyāna[1] (meaning "meditation" or "meditative state"[2]), is a Chinese school of Mahāyāna Buddhism. It developed in China from the 6th century CE onwards, becoming dominant during the Tang and Song dynasties.[3] After the Yuan dynasty, Chan more or less fused with Pure Land Buddhism. Chan is the originating tradition of Zen Buddhism (the Japanese pronunciation of the same character, which is the most commonly used name for the school in English). Chan Buddhism spread from China south to Vietnam as Thiền and north to Korea as Seon, and, in the 13th century, east to Japan as Japanese Zen.