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Although the present " gure " ts neatly into the sculptural tradition of the mid-6 century, ᱙䷕ᵩႹڕこवښ̓㈭͚㥶䕍נ㊞喑♣
close comparisons are hard to " nd. The depiction of the long scarves hanging down in two
㊂ᆙ⣺㒂҉喑䶋Ҹᅇ◧䰐ᄸȡ㻭ڣፁፈ⻭
loose overlapping loops in front of the " gure’s knees is particularly unusual. Although bo-
䴻喑䪤ᜥጓठ喑ಯ㜠㛊ݺ⪷҉䰆⧝喑ₑ㸊丫
dhisattvas of this period tend to be similarly dressed, the two scarves are mostly crossed
∂ह䶋৮͚₷◧㒂ᰶȡह᭯㤖㫖㶐㦄䰃
near the waist and inserted through a ring-shaped disc.
ѩ喑♣ι㗎䷱፣็⾬⧝ថ㔹ϑݺ㚦ȡ
Matsubara, who published this bodhisattva " gure in his ground-breaking study of Buddhist
sculpture in 1966, compares the style to that of a stele with a seated Avalokitesvara " gure 1966Ꭱ喑Ძ࣌ٵ⩌⮩㶕҈᪆䕍ⵁ⾣䝲҉喑ᰥ
of the Northern Qi period from Jincheng in Shanxi province, about a hundred miles north ͚ᰫܷₑȡٵ⩌ᄴڣᐼὐ㜴̭ࡄ呷㻭䴠౽
of Longmen and Gongxian, see Matsubara Saburō, Chūgoku Bukkyō hokiza shi kenkyū/ ⶾ℁⚔喠㾟౽ⶾܧ㜗ᆞ㺬᭶喑咺䪭Ƞ䲼
Chinese Buddhist Sculpture: A Study Based on Bronze and Stone Statues Other Than Works ㍐ВࡄⰥ̶ࣨ⮫久䛹喑㺸Ძ̶࣌䗻喑Ȩ͚పϼ
from Cave Temples, Tokyo, 1966, p. 272, " g. 245. ᪆ᒘݨटⵁ⾣ ➦㗫䛾䞲ϼࣷ㗳ⴠ⿌䕍Вใ
In its overall shallow relief treatment of the body, with only the hands protruding in higher 㗮ⴠϼ㗫㗤㗄㗦㗮䀃㔰ȩ喑Პϙ喑1966Ꭱ喑䴮
relief, this " gure shows similarities to many bodhisattvas that % ank Buddhas at Gongxian, 272喑ృ245ȡ
which are depicted with similarly parted hair, rudimentarily indicated under similar crowns
᱙䕇倁ॵ⌧⊛䰂喑ᘌ䰆҉倅⊛䰂㮂⤳ȡₑ
decorated with lotus petals and circular jewel-like discs, with a similar mandorla behind the
䷕ᵩ㜴䲼㍐็ᄷ㘲Һ㤖㫖Ⱕѩÿÿ㍞Ҭ㉝ロऱ
head, and dressed in similar garments, although they di* er considerably in detail. Com-
⪝喑♣㶐㦄Ⱕ䓾喑㗹ٶⰥ㠒喑倛倨ⰥЬ喑ᄣۍ
pare, for example, a Northern Wei Bodhisattva " gure from the north wall of cave 1 of the
Gongxian cave complex, whose garment is draped around the lower legs in more complex Ⱕ䶋喑ۍ㨛⨐ᒏȠВీⰑ⟭⤍⧐◧丫ȡ℁䲼
folds and whose scarves are crossed through a disc, illustrated in Gongxian shikusi [Cave ㍐ⴠ⿌1㮌⿌ࡄ❳̭ࡄ偼㤖㫖҉Ҹ喑ᄼ㚬㮂㸆
temples of Gongxian], Beijing, 1963, pl. 69; in Zhongguo shiku. Gongxian shikusi [Chinese 㹣ᰡ䶜㍮㸴喑ፁፈ፣Ⱕϑ⾬⧝ថ喑ృ䐶Ȩ䲼
caves. Gongxian cave temples], Beijing, 1989, pl. 69 ( g. 1), and p. 209, " gs 13-1 to 13-5, ㍐ⴠ⿌ᄧȩ喑ࡄϙ喑1963Ꭱ喑ృ❵69喠ϓ䐶Ȩ
where it is compared with related " gures from other walls in cave 1 and from other caves; ͚సⴠ⿌ί䲼㍐ⴠ⿌ᄧȩ喑ࡄϙ喑1989Ꭱ喑ృ
and in Gongxian shiku [Cave temples of Gongxian], Beijing, 2005, p. 24, " g. 36, and p. 33, ❵69喍ృ̭喎喑ࣷ䴮209喑ృ13 1㜠13 5喑ᰥ
" g. 55.
͚ᄴڣ㜴1㮌⿌ڣ久❳哂ࣷڣЃⴠ⿌Ⱕ䬉䕍
Related bodhisattva " gures, with similar crowns and garments, but also with more stylized ҉℁喠ओ䐶Ȩ䲼㍐ⴠ⿌ȩ喑ࡄϙ喑2005Ꭱ喑
garment folds, can also be seen at the Longmen caves, for example, on the north wall of 䴮24喑ృ36ࣷ䴮33喑ృ55ȡ
the Putai cave, which dates from the Northern Wei period, see Longmen shiku [Longmen
咺䪭ⴠ⿌ϓ㺸ह䶋㤖㫖喑㶐ۍ⮳ѩ喑㶐㹣ᒏ
caves], Beijing, 1980, pl. 105.
ᙸᰡڤ䷕ᵩ喑ज℁ᮛ∝≋ࡄ❳҉Ҹ喑ᆙࡄ偼᭯
The sharply delineated features of the face with its narrow, almond-shaped eyes are remi-
喑䠱Ȩ咺䪭ⴠ⿌ȩ喑ࡄϙ喑1980Ꭱ喑ృ❵
niscent of the large seated Eastern Wei bodhisattva " gure in the Museum of Fine Arts, Bos-
105ȡ
ton, illustrated in Osvald Sirén, Chinese Sculpture from the Fifth to the Fourteenth Century,
London, 1925 (reprint Bangkok, 1998), pl. 112 and in Matsubara Saburō, Chūgoku Bukkyō ᱙䲏ღ㌇᷊ӽ㥪喑ᱼⱩᓛव喑जᄸ̭Პ偼
chōkoku shiron [Historical survey of Chinese Buddhist sculpture], Tokyo, 1995, vol. 1, pl. 㤖㫖౽䶋Ҹ喑∏ธ䵀㒻㶀乕㫼喑㺸 Osvald
243; other Eastern Wei steles showing bodhisattvas with related treatment of the garments Sirén喑ȨChinese Sculpture from the Fifth to
and crown are published ibid., pls 242, 281b, 282b, 284; and a related free-standing Avalok-
the Fourteenth Centuryȩ喑᪓喑1925Ꭱ喍ᰩ
itesvara " gure of the Eastern Wei period, but with more stylized garment folds, in the Tokyo
䅤ں❵喑1998Ꭱ喎喑ృ❵112喑ࣷᲫ̶࣌䗻喑Ȩ
National Museum, is illustrated in Matsubara, op.cit., 1966, pl. 111b.
͚పϼ᪆ᒘݨट䀃ȩ喑Პϙ喑1995Ꭱ喑ࢤ1喑
ృ❵243喠ओ℁̭Პ偼㤖㫖䕍ⶾҸ喑㶐ۍݨ
⪘Ⱕ㠒喑ܧ㮂ह̷喑ృ❵242Ƞ281bȠ282bࣷ
284喠Ϻᰶ̭Პ偼㻭䴠㤖㫖⿸喑㶐㹣ᰡڤ䷕
ᵩ喑Პϙస⿸ࢇ➖乕㫼喑䠱Ძ̶࣌䗻喑ݺ䔝ܧ
㮂喑1966Ꭱ喑ృ❵111bȡ
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