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Grace and Beauty: An Exceptional Tang
Bodhisattva
ᙵ㒻㜴ٗ䯲喟Аⴠ䰂㤖㫖
!" #$%&'( )#(*+ Ꮴ㩷ै
his figure of a bodhisattva is remarkable for its graceful pose, naturalistic, yet genderless
physique, elegant flowing skirt and scarves, and voluminous flower-decorated hair style. It
Tis a classic example of China’s Buddhist stone carving from the period that saw perhaps
the greatest flowering of China’s plastic arts, the High Tang period under Emperor Xuanzong (r. 713-755).
The carving of Buddhist stone sculptures in China was initiated on a grand scale through the patronage
of the Northern Wei (386-534) imperial family, who commissioned the construction of rock caves, first
at Yungang in Shanxi in the 5th, and soon after at Longmen and Gongxian, both in Henan province, in the
early 6th century. The monumental Buddhist sculpture projects realized in these cave temples, created
under court patronage by the greatest sculptors of the day, provided an artistic language that dominated
the art of Chinese sculpture as a whole and inspired also the production of many free-standing figures
and steles.
As the foreign (Tuoba) ruling clan of the Wei was intent on displaying their legitimacy on the Chinese
throne, and the early massive Buddha figures were designed to represent Wei rulers of the past and the
present, the sculptures they commissioned were not meant to emphasize the foreignness either of the
religion or the ruling house. The styles of these early Buddhist images therefore did not follow West or
Central Asian models, but the artisans were searching to develop an independent Chinese style. In doing
so, they concentrated on rendering the solemn spiritual message rather than in conveying a human side
of the deity figures they created. Sculptures thus became rather formal and stylized, often completely
disregarding the shape of the body under the garments. The deities thus rendered appeared powerful
and distant rather than benevolent and approachable.
⢱ჄᎡ䫀喑䖁ݝڕⰈ᭯喑͚స䕍㬊㶀ᒖ ጒ㬊䷕ᵩ喑ᄺ͚స䕍㬊㶀ᒞ䴬⌞䖍喑͓ઌ⮩ڣЃ
㉈ॵȡ䕇㻭᱙喑༬ᙸٗ䯲喑ݨ⪘㜗♣喑㶐㸆ࣷ៘㗖 ⢕⿸䕍ࣷⴠ䰂ȡ
♣䷱䕥喑倛倨㉝ჳ喑㟞丫䅽ჹ喑ᆙₑ͚᭯స҈᪆
偼᠀䋸ᐧ䕍๔ಸⴠ⿌喑ᘼౕ䲼ధ͚࣌㊞⇨喑㸪҈
䕍㋀ڥȡ
喑ᠶ₤А偼ፊᒏ䰂҉ȡᩲₑ喑㾟᭯҈͓᱗ឬ
͚సⴠ䰂҈נ㊞喑ڙٰῤ㈭ᓄݝ⮩ᆂȡ᭯ࡄ偼 㺟㺬ϋᝃ͚ϋ䷕ᵩ喑㔹᭜ᰶᘼ⮩ᆂ͚స㜗ᰶ䷕ᵩȡ
მᐤᅇ҈喑ᓎБ䪸䦬ᆞ㺬䰟ᇎⴠ⿌喑ᒹࣵښ̓㈭݊ ₑ᭯䕍ݣᐼࣷ䷕ᵩࡃᰡᑤ喑̺∕䛺ݨ⪘䕍䏘倁
ౕ⇠ࢄ咺䪭ࣷ䲼㍐ᐧヶⴠ⿌喑㌕ݣ咽๔喑Ả◧ज 㜗♣㌇᷊喑ᘼౕ㶕⤫ڣ㢷䛺༮Ƞ䖍䰏̓Ԅ⮱Ⴤ᪆ࡃ
㻭ȡₑ䶋მᐤᓎ㸪ⴠ⿌䕍⩞⪣᭯㘪ࡍ㸪喑㼯⿸ ᒏ䆎ȡ
74 JUNKUNC: CHINESE BUDDHIST SCULPTURE
