CENTER FOR THE ART OF EAST ASIA

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Showing 1 - 25 of 33 Records

Buddha Seated

Title Translation: 坐佛

Period: Tang, 618-907 C.E.

Project: Tianlongshan Caves

Work Description: Buddhas seated in this pose can be identified as Maitreya, the Buddha of the future. The figure is believed to be from the upper level Cave 3.

Buddha Seated

Title Translation: 坐佛

Period: Tang, 618-907 C.E.

Project: Tianlongshan Caves

Work Description: One of the finest and best-preserved sculptures from Tianlongshan, this Buddha figure was the principal image in Cave 21.

Buddha Head

Title Translation: 佛头 , 3D 模型

Period: Tang, 618-907 C.E.

Project: Tianlongshan Caves

Work Description: This impressive head is from the principle image of Cave 14, the seated Maitreya Buddha on the north wall.

Buddha Head

Title Translation: 佛头

Period: Tang, 618-907 C.E.

Project: Tianlongshan Caves

Work Description: This Buddha head is believed to be from Cave 4.

Buddha Head

Title Translation: 佛头

Period: Tang, 618-907 C.E.

Project: Tianlongshan Caves

Work Description: The head is from the seated Buddha on the west wall of Cave 18.

Buddha with Two Attendants in a Niche

Title Translation: 如来三尊佛龛

Period: Tang, 704 C.E.

Project: Guangzhai Temple Qibaotai Pagoda

Buddha with Two Attendants in a Niche

Title Translation: 如来三尊佛龛

Period: Tang, 703 C.E.

Project: Guangzhai Temple Qibaotai Pagoda

Maitreya with Two Attendants in a Niche

Title Translation: 弥勒三尊佛龛

Period: Tang, 703 C.E.

Project: Guangzhai Temple Qibaotai Pagoda

Buddha Head

Title Translation: 佛头

Period: Tang, 618-907 C.E.

Project: Tianlongshan Caves

Work Description: The source of this head was probably a smaller cave at Tianlongshan.

Buddha Head

Title Translation: 佛头

Period: Tang, 618-907 C.E.

Project: Tianlongshan Caves

Work Description: The snail shell curls of the hair are unusual on Tang dynasty Buddhas at Tianlongshan. The specific cave from which it comes is uncertain.

Buddha with Two Attendants in a Niche

Title Translation: 如来三尊佛龛

Period: Tang, 703 C.E.

Project: Guangzhai Temple Qibaotai Pagoda

Niche of a Buddha Triad

Title Translation: 佛三圣龛

Period: Tang, 703 C.E.

Project: Guangzhai Temple Qibaotai Pagoda

Work Description: This niche belongs to a set of thirty stone reliefs from Baoqing Temple, and is one of the most representative stone carvings from the Tang dynasty (618–907). Baoqing Temple was a temple located near the south gate of the Chang’an capital during the Ming dynasty (1368–1644). Today, the only structure that remains of the temple is a stone pagoda which held stone niches, including this one. These carvings, which were stored in the main hall of the temple, had originally been part of the Qibaotai pagoda in Guangzhai Temple, a temple in the Guangzhai district located immediately south of the Daming Palace in Chang’an during the Tang dynasty. This information is found on multiple niches from the series in the form of inscriptions, alongside carvings suggesting that they were created in the early eighth century (703–4, 724).The Guangzhai Temple was allegedly founded in 677 at the location where a Buddhist relic (cremated remains of the Buddha’s body) had been discovered. The Qibotai, on the other hand, was constructed by Empress Wu Zetian (r. 690–705), the only empress regnant in Chinese history, who also installed a series of stone Buddhist reliefs as decoration.This series of Buddhist reliefs features two styles of composition: ones depicting a buddha triad, and ones that depict a single buddha or deity. The former type can be classified further into three depending on the pose and/or hand gesture (mudra) of the central buddha: a buddha seated with legs folded performing the bhumisparsha mudra (Jp. gōma-in) that symbolizes the expulsion of evil, a buddha seated with legs folded performing the abhaya mudra (Jp. semui-in) that symbolizes fearlessness, and a seated buddha with feet touching the ground performing the abhaya mudra. Single-image niches typically feature the bodhisattva Ekadashamukha, the eleven-headed manifestation of Avalokiteshvara (Jp. Kannon). According to the inscriptions on the works, the triads featuring a central buddha with legs folded performing the abhaya mudra represent the buddha Amitabha, while the ones with a buddha seated with feet touching the ground performing the same mudra represented Maitreya Buddha. There are also variations in iconography among the buddhas performing the bhumisparsha mudra; some wear crowns, while others sit upon a shumi pedestal or a lotus pedestal. These may have roots in representations of the historic Buddha, Shakyamuni, that were popular in India at the time.This particular niche depicts a central buddha seated with both feet touching the ground, suggesting that it is an image of Maitreya, flanked by two attendants. At the top, a pair of heavenly beings are depicted in shallow relief to either side of a parasol that hangs above the central buddha. The rectangular space at the bottom bears inscriptions indicating that this particular work was dedicated by Yang Sixu, the duke of Guoguo (Guoguo-gong 虢国公).