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1 - 13 of 13 Records
Head of Luohan, 3D model
- Title Translation: 罗汉头 , 3D模型
- Period: Northern Song, Liao, Jin, 999-1099 C.E.
- Project: Dispersed Buddhist Sculptures
Guanyin of the Southern Sea
- Title Translation: 南海观音
- Period: Liao, Jin, 907-1125 C.E., 1115-1234 C.E.
- Project: Dispersed Buddhist Sculptures
- Work Description: Represented as "Kuan-Yin of the southern seas," the Chinese Buddhist deity of compassion and mercy is seated in a variation of the pose of royal ease (Maharajalila) on a base imitating a craggy rock with his/her right arm resting on his/her folded right knee. The left arm rests on the rock while the left leg hangs down over the rockery onto a lotus blossom. The position of the Guanyin conveys the impression that the Bodhisattva might at any moment awake from deep contemplation and step down. The Bodhisattva's worldly ornaments, such as the high tiara and rich necklaces, are carved, gilded and painted in sumptuous detail.
Standing Bodhisattva
- Title Translation: 菩萨立像
- Period: Jin, 1115-1234 C.E.
- Project: Dispersed Buddhist Sculptures
- Work Description: This figure is among the best in quality and preservation to have survived from the Jin Dynasty. The image is full-bodied yet imbued with a sense of stately movement effected by the flowing garments and twisting scarves that eddy around the figure. The deep carving and high relief drapery produce a dramatic effect of shadow and highlight, which, combined with the rich polychrome palette, result in a figure that is magnificent yet gentle, humanized and immediately appealing. A tightly folded manuscript found in a sealed cavity in the back records that this image was repaired and repainted in 1348. The names of the artisans and donors are listed, and the name of the temple given as Meditation (Hall) of the Great Cloud Monastery.
Sovereign of the Clouds of Dawn (Bixia Yuanjun), 3D model
- Title Translation: 碧霞元君 , 3D模型
- Period: Ming dynasty, 1375–1450 C.E.
- Project: Dispersed Buddhist Sculptures
Head of Guanyin, 3D model
- Title Translation: 观音头 , 3D 模型
- Period: Late Northern Qi to early Sui period, 575–600 C.E.
- Project: Dispersed Buddhist Sculptures
- Work Description: The benign, altruistic aspect of Buddhism is expressed in this beautifully sculpted marble head of the bodhisattva Guanyin (Sanskrit: Avalokitesvara). The miniature image of the Buddha known as Amitabha (Amituo), depicted in the crown, is clear indication of the bodhisattva’s identity. Certain features of this head are shared with other Buddhist icons: the concave forehead circle (urna) is an auspicious mark from which wisdom radiates; the elongated earlobes allude to the aristocratic Indian custom of wearing heavy earrings, and thereby to the Buddha’s early life as an Indian prince. This majestic head, which was severed from a monumental standing figure, characterizes the finest sculpture made in far northern China in the late sixth century. The fine-grain white marble from this area was well suited to rounded, smoothly polished surfaces and austere, idealized images. Serene benevolence emanates from Guanyin’s gentle, meditative [removed]somewhat altered by later recutting of the pupils of the eyes). Source: Art Institute of Chicago, CC0 (https://www.artic.edu/artworks/9613/head-of-guanyin)
Head of a Luohan, 3D model
- Title Translation: 罗汉头 , 3D 模型
- Period: Northern Song, Liao, or Jin dynasty, 1001–1100
- Project: Dispersed Buddhist Sculptures
- Work Description: In traditional Buddhist belief, the luohan is a disciple who has attained enlightenment through intense personal effort. Beginning in the ninth century, the worship of luohan and their depiction in art evolved primarily in the context of the Chan (Zen), or “meditation,” sect of Buddhism. This head was created in the delicate technique of hollow dry lacquer. The artisan first soaked layers of coarse cloth in lacquer (a thick sap tapped from a sumac tree) and applied these to a clay core formed over an armature of wood or other material. After allowing the work to dry, he applied a thick layer of lacquer paste to create the basic shape of the sculpture and a thinner coat into which he carefully modeled the eyes, high cheekbones, and other facial features. After removing the core and supporting armature, he set colored beads behind the eyes to represent irises and pupils. Finally, he painted the surface and perhaps applied gilding. Although these surface finishes have disintegrated over the centuries, the sensitively executed facial features preserve the insightful expression of the luohan. Source: Art Institute of Chicago, CC0 (https://www.artic.edu/artworks/88724/head-of-a-luohan)
Maitreya Buddha, 3D model
- Title Translation: 弥勒佛 , 3D 模型
- Period: Tang dynasty (618–906), 705 C.E.
- Project: Dispersed Buddhist Sculptures
- Work Description: Limestone sculpture of Maitreya seated in high relief, dedicated in 705 CE by Yan Zongfeng. The inscription records a dedication for his deceased parents, seven generations of ancestors, and living family members. Source: Art Institute of Chicago, CC0 (https://www.artic.edu/artworks/11690/maitreya-buddha)
Buddha, 3D model
- Title Translation: 佛坐像 , 3D 模型
- Period: Tang dynasty, 618 – 907 C.E.
- Project: Dispersed Buddhist Sculptures
- Work Description: Following its introduction from India centuries earlier, Buddhism flourished in China under the powerfully cosmopolitan Tang dynasty. Characteristic of Tang style in its robust, tapered physique, this monumental figure exhibits iconographic features distinctive to the Buddha: tightly curled hair covering a cranial mound symbolizes his enlightenment; and a forehead depression that originally held a stone or jewel represents wisdom. The articulated folds of the deity’s flowing robe integrate Indian sensuality with a distinctly Tang blend of realism and linear elegance. Capping the deity’s right shoulder, this garment discreetly modifies a fully bare-chested style described in Indian monastic texts. The stepped pedestal rises from a base encircled by lotus petals pure white flowers that rise from muddy water and thereby evoke Buddhist beliefs in purity and the search for enlightenment. Above, musicians encircling the tapered stem evoke an ideal, celestial realm. Together with two attendant bodhisattvas in the Art Institute collection (1930.84 and 1930.85), this sculpture came to the museum in 1930 with a note of its discovery in a temple known as Cangfosi in northern Hebei province. Neither archaeological nor written records have been located to confirm this reported site. The scale and stone medium of these figures suggest that they were commissioned for a cave temple or shrine—a chamber carved into the face of a mountain or cliff. Source: Art Institute of Chicago, CC0 (https://www.artic.edu/artworks/9613/head-of-guanyin)
Bodhisattva, 3D model
- Title Translation: 菩萨 , 3D 模型
- Period: Tang dynasty, 725 CE–750 CE
- Project: Dispersed Buddhist Sculptures
Guanyin Bodhisattva
- Title Translation: 观音菩萨
- Period: Yuan, 1279-1368 C.E.
- Project: Dispersed Buddhist Sculptures
Buddha, 3D model
- Title Translation: 菩萨 , 3D 模型
- Period: Tang dynasty, 725 – 750 C.E.
- Project: Dispersed Buddhist Sculptures
- Work Description: In eighth-century China, Buddhist sculptors adopted new standards of secular beauty for spiritual figures. Whereas images of the Buddha appear sternly formal, bodhisattvas, the merciful deities that guide men toward salvation, often display more humanistic features. This bodhisattva’s graceful proportions, upswept hair, sinuous drapery, and delicate jewelry convey an appealing physical elegance. Seated informally, the deity is poised to step down from its pedestal. Together with a large seated Buddha and another attendant bodhisattva in the Art Institute collection (1930.83, 1930.84), this sculpture came to the museum in 1930 with a note of its discovery in a temple known as Cangfosi in northern Hebei province. Neither archaeological nor written records have been located to confirm this reported site. The scale and stone medium of these figures suggest that they were commissioned for a cave temple or shrine a chamber carved into the face of a mountain or cliff. Source: Art Institute of Chicago, CC0 (https://www.artic.edu/artworks/9613/head-of-guanyin)