Chinese Buddha statue in Sotheby's resembles lost relic

The nearly 70-centimeter-high statue, dating back to the Tang Dynasty (618-907), was expected to fetch between $2 million and $3 million, the most expensive item in the auction. Sotheby's describes the exquisite sculpture as "magnificent".

In the catalog, Sotheby's compared the statue with a number of Tang dynasty Buddha statues, including those in the Longmen Grottoes, and said "Its lips are slightly pursed, which is the style of the early Tang dynasty."

According to the Sotheby's catalogue, the item once appeared in the auction catalogue of a French antique dealer that sells stolen Chinese relics in 1955, which was later collected by the US collector Stephen Junkunc.

A person in charge of the Longmen Grottoes said they could not yet conclude whether the Buddha head on Sotheby's auction list is from the Longmen Grottoes only based on photos.

The person said that a large number of Buddha heads were stolen during the late Qing dynasty (1644-1911) and the Republic of China (1912-1949) period.

According to estimates, 600 to 700 Buddha statues in the Longmen Grottoes have been damaged and stolen during the period.