The middle part of the exhibition of ancient Chinese Buddhist statues in Liaobo
Li Jiangshi shared
Buddhism has a long history of more than 2,000 years in China, which was first introduced through the Western Regions, and has gradually developed and flourished since then. Buddha statues play a very important role in the process of Buddhist believers spreading the scriptures and propagating the Dharma, and the Buddha statues in a broad sense include all Buddhist statues such as Buddha, Bodhisattva, Arhat, Ming King, and Heavens. Early Buddhist artworks only depict the presence and activities of the Buddha with pagodas, lotus flowers, Bodhi trees, Dharma wheels, footprints, etc. In the first century AD, Buddha art was produced in ancient India, and during the Sixteen Kingdoms period, Buddha statues with real Buddha worship purposes and independent offerings appeared in Chinese mainland. The Buddha statues collected by the Liaoning Provincial Museum are mainly stone carvings and gilded bronze statues, the stone statues are mainly in the Northern Dynasties and the Sui and Tang Dynasties, and the gold and bronze statues are from the Sixteen Kingdoms to the Qing Dynasty. These statues can be divided into two styles, Han and Tibetan, which are great artistic treasures in the treasure house of mainland culture and an important part of the traditional culture of the Chinese nation.
Han Buddhist statue art
Han Buddhism refers to a school of Buddhism that is popular in Chinese mainland and uses Chinese as the medium of transmission. In the development of more than 2,000 years, the art of Buddha statues has been constantly changing under the influence of Chinese Han culture, the Northern and Southern Dynasties are delicate and elegant, the Sui and Tang dynasties are elegant and dignified, the Song Dynasty is realistic and natural, and the Ming and Qing dynasties are simple and secular, forming a new art form with the characteristics of mainland Han culture. Han Buddhist statue art is the most vivid embodiment of the sinicization of Chinese Buddhism, and it is also a dazzling pearl in traditional Chinese culture.
Tibetan Buddhist statue art
Tibetan Buddhist statues are popular in the art form of Buddha statues in the Mongolian and Tibetan regions of the mainland, with a wide range of themes and unique styles, which are obviously different from the Han Buddha statues, and reflect the unique religious pursuit and aesthetic taste of the Mongolian and Tibetan people. Due to political and geographical factors, early Tibetan Buddhist art showed obvious characteristics of foreign art. Since the Yuan Dynasty, Tibet has been subsumed into the central government of the mainland, and Tibetan Buddha statues have begun to transform into the Central Plains form, and the court statues of the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties are classics of this period, which have played an important role in bridging the transformation of Tibetan style into Central Plains art. The evolution of Tibetan Buddhist art reflects the close political and cultural relationship between Tibet and the Central Plains.
Ascetic statue of Prince Siddhartha
Bronze gilt height 33 cm
According to Buddhist scriptures, after Prince Siddhartha became a monk, his father, King Johan, sent five people to accompany him. Siddhartha led five of his followers to the ascetic forest by the Nirenzen River, where he practiced extremely hard for six years in search of the true path to liberation from life, and his body was extremely emaciated, but he still did not find a true way to liberation. This image shows Shakyamuni's skinny appearance when he practiced asceticism in the first six years of Buddhahood and practiced in the snow-capped mountains. This is one of the important themes of Buddhist statue art.
Ming wood carved Arhat statue
Ming Dynasty Arhat wood carving
Height 139 cm
This figure is in the form of a bhikshu, with round eyes, a majestic face, and sharp edges and corners. He wore a collared monk's robe on the inside, a shoulder-length robe on the outside, and a ribbon around the waist. The pattern is thick and smooth, and the hem of the skirt is naturally placed on the pedestal. The left hand is sealed, and the right hand is placed on the leg to grasp the corner of the coat, which highlights the texture of the fabric very well. Sit on your knees. The pedestal is a rock-like high pedestal. Arhat is one of the main subjects of Buddhist statues, and the image is modeled after the characteristics of monks in real life, with the image of Indian monks being the most. Bald-headed, without a bun, wearing a robe or a monk's robe with a large collar. The appearance is different, the technique is exaggerated or realistic, and the charm is vivid.
Bronze statue of Venerable Ming Ashi
Ming Dynasty Bodhisattva seated statue
Alloy copper
Ming Wanli 7 years Guanyin Bodhisattva statue
Bronze gilt
Ming Guanyin Bodhisattva seated statue
Bronze gilt