A RARE LARGE PAINTED STUCCO RECLINING FIGURE OF BUDDHAWestern Xia Dynasty, 11th/12th century Depicting the Buddha's entry into Nirvana, reclining, with long flowing robes, his right arm supporting his head with peaceful expression, apanied by a dancing mourner, richly painted in blue, red, brown, black and peach-coloured pigments and embellished with extensive gilding. 54cm (21 1/4in) long (2). Provenance : Jonathan Tucker and Antonia Tozer, Asian Art, London, 2001 An English private collection Published and Illustrated: J.Tucker and A.Tozer, Splendours of Buddhist Art, London, 2001, no.6 The subject matter of this image is the passage of the Buddha into Nirvana. He lies down on a royal couch in the sala grove of the Malla kings beside the Hirannavati River. Surrounded by his faithful monks he utters his final words: 'Everything is subject to change; strive on without delay', and at dawn on the following day passes into the great Nirvana. There is a large reclining Buddha in Zhangye, Gansu Province, 34.5 metres long and the largest in China, at the 'Monastery of the Great Buddha' (Dafosi) built in 1098 by the Tangut Kingdom of Xixia. The private Young Museum of Ancient Cultural Arts in Texas has a marble block relief of similar date depicting the parinirvana with mourners.