Page 33 - jingyatang sculptures march2018

RIGHT
Fig. 1 An inscribed huanghuashi Buddhist stele,
Eastern Wei dynasty, dated Yuanxiang first
year (538), Yurinkan Museum, Kyoto
After: Yurinkan Seika [The Brilliance of the
Yurin Collection], Kyoto, 1975, pl. 19.
̛
ྡɓ ؇ᕧʩ൥ʩϋ රڀͩᎉʹ໔
മᔜ྅ Ϟቌ᎜ ԯே
̈ஈjϞቌ᎜ၚശ‘dԯேd
1975ϋdྡو19

The present carving belongs to a select group of sculptures which are carved from a dis- ᱙৮䕍׼◧台㟞ⴠ䈗喑ᱽ᫆➦ݒ喑◧㜨䖥͸҉ȡࣰ㔰̭
tinct yellow-# ecked limestone, which includes a related stele, dated to 538, in the Yurinkan हᱽ䈗́䷕ᵩⰥ䶋Ҹ喑䟅᪴㈭Პ偼ٰ䆎ٰᎡ喑㫼᫩ϙ䘪
Museum, Kyoto, published in Yurinkan Seika, Kyoto, 1975, pl. 19 ( g. 1). Shared charac-
㬑ςᰶ䙝乕喑ܷ䐶᫩Ȩᰶ䙝乕㇫㤜ȩ喑ϙ䘪喑1975Ꭱ喑
teristics between these two steles include a similarity in composition and the use of high-
ృ❵19喍ృ̭喎ȡⰥ䐰ږҸ䕍׼➦ᓢ喑ज㺸䀥็ڞᕔ喑
relief carving to create an animated scene, particularly in the modeling of the apsaras # ying
ຯỸృѵᅭⰥ䓾喠ࣵຯ倅⊛䰂ݨ͸ឭ∂Ⱕѩ喑᝭ॵృ
above the central " gure. The sweet expressions of the " gures as well as the fullness of their
bodies and style of drapery are also strikingly similar, which suggests they may have been ᵵ䆎ᒏک׆喑ᗲᙸຯ⩌喑ᅑ㺸丈๖ݨ⪘᝸∂喑䷱㝋᫩ͨ
created by the same hand. ᄷ̷⾧喑ᘌໆᘌ㗃ȡ㉝㻭͸喑ږҸ᝭䰂Ⱬ׼喑౴䲏ღᖙ
䲉喑䏘༬䅽㚡喑㶐㹣⩇ᓛ㮂ϓܧ๴̭㜡喑䀥ₑ⽛⽛喑ज
This stele is iconographically complex: the central Buddha, in this period probably Shakya-
㺸ι㔲ᝃहܧ̭ϧ͸᝸ȡ
muni, has two small Buddhas sitting on top of his lotus-shaped halo, possibly as reference
to the Buddhist trinity. He holds his right hand up in abhaya mudra, which signi" es reas- ᱙䕍׼Ỹృ䅽ჹ : ͨᄷ҈ӊₑ᭯᱌ᣕ᫤ᛶ◧䛸䔓➌ᅩ喑ڣ
surance, while the left hand is held in varada mudra, symbolising compassion and charity. 㨛㟞ᒏ㗹ٶ̷㺸ږᄷᄼ౽҈喑ڣ⩕ᘼᝃ◧㶕⤫҈᪆͸Ȫ̶
Together the hand gestures convey to worshippers that they may approach and receive 䏘̭倁ȫȡͨ҈ठ᝸᫪♎⩼࢝喑᱈Ⱬ⩌ᓰႶ喑♎᝭⩼ᕃ喠
the blessing of the Buddha. He is attended by bodhisattvas, lions, monks and worshipping
ጓ᝸҉ε䶅࢝喑㶕ᚽᛘȠጰ᫪喠ₑ᝸࢝㉱व喑ᘼౕ䂤ѾԎ
" gures. Below, two monks kneel to either side of a squatting demonic " gure supporting a
Ⱬȡͨ҈ږ֡ࣵܳ丫㤖㫖Ƞ҈⡲Ƞ℁ࣷͅԎ๶㔲喑ₑ㮂Ԏ
boshan-form censer. A celestial quality is captured through the " ve apsaras playing instru-
๶㔲喑ᰶज㘪ࢠ◧ӈ丷ϧࣷڣ⃺ȡ̸᫦झᏔ̷䰂ι䌗ᐼ℁
ments that frame the entire scene as they hover above. One of the Eight Supernatural be-
ings (babuzhong) in the Buddhist pantheon, according to the Lotus Sutra, apsaras are the ͅ喑ܳ᫩ږ〜喑͚䫀̭䎟༬⺋䱵喑䰆᝸ឬច̭ࢇᆞ✽ȡ㗹
protectors of the Buddha and of doctrine. Appearing on Chinese Buddhist images as early ٶ̷䘕ృᵵ喑⩞ρѺлἯ丈๖Ỹ᜽喑㊟〦ノᑓ喑ᰩ㝋䑂
as 420 in the cave temple of Binglingsi, Yongjing county, these deities grew in popularity in ⁹喑䷱♣ᜥ丈喑䏘༬䱵ጔȡ丈๖ᆙژ䘕Ⱬ͸̭喑ᨇȨໆ∂
the late Northern Wei and Eastern Wei periods (see the catalogue to the exhibition Return 㨛㤜㋀ȩ䐶喑ڣ◧҈᪆͸䂤∂⺋ȡ͚సᰭᬖ͸丈๖ᒏ䆎ܧ
of the Buddha: The Qingzhou Discoveries, Royal Academy of Arts, London, 2002, p. 84). ⤫᫩ڙٰ420Ꭱ喑Ѻ᫩Ⅵ䲃㍐͸◠䱵ᄧⴠ⿌喑㜠ࡄ偼᱘᱌
ࣷᲞ偼᭯᱌喑丈๖ᒏ䆎ᘵऄ䢫ᙈ喍ࣰ㺸ᆂ㻪ృ䠱ȨReturn
of the Buddha The Qingzhou Discoveriesȩ喑⮴უ㬊㶀Ⴅ
䮏喑՘᪓喑2002Ꭱ喑䴮84喎ȡ