Buddhist and Funerary Sculpture in China
Six Dynasties Period
Sui Dynasty
Tang Dynasty
Six Dynasties Period
(Period of the Northern and Southern Dynasties)
Ca. 220 – ca. 600 CE
Chronology
317-581 Northern Dynasties
386-535 Northern Wei Dynasty
550-577 Northern Qi Dynasty
420-589 Southern Dynasties
Location
China is broken up under a series of different dynasties
Historical Context
Collapse of the Han dynasty
Politically complex age
Unified imperial rule and central authority disappeared
Series of dynasties: some foreign, some Chinese
Buddhism: first foreign system to become an integral part of Chinese culture
Why did Buddhism take root in China?
Patronage: rulers embraced it
Political and Social Context: fertile soil brought about by war, chaos, famine, disruption
Philosophical Context: Buddhist teachings paralleled Daoist mysticism
Buddhist Pilgrimage and Missionary Routes
The infrastructure of the "Silk Road" trade routes formed the conduit for the introduction of Buddhism to China
Shrines at Yungang and Longmen
Shrines on the Silk Road
Example: Colossal Buddha at Bamiyan, Afghanistan, 5th-6th c. (destroyed)
Shrines trace the route of introduction of Buddhism to China
Influence of Kushan period sculpture
Cave Shrines at Yungang
Colossal Buddha, ca. 450-500
Prototypes: monumental rock cut architecture and sculpture in India and Central Asia
Kushan period styles influential (transmitted through small examples and drawings); followed fairly closely
Summary
Style Characteristics
Drapery folds: flat ribbon bands of flame-ended folds; graphic quality; flame imagery may be Chinese innovation
Massive physique, spheroid face, smile
Follows foreign style fairly closely
Bronze Sculpture
Shakyamuni and Buddha of the Past, 518
Early 6th century example; shows thorough assimilation of Indian Buddhist iconography and style
Comparison
Summary
Style Characteristics
Elongated proportions
Physicality suppressed
Thin face, smile
"Waterfall" drapery: elongated drapery with decorative flourishes and water-like patterns
Flame imagery
Transformed into a uniquely Chinese aesthetic
Sui Dynasty
589 - 618
Location
Reunification of China
Short dynasty set the stage for the 300-year Tang dynasty
Bronze Sculpture
Amitabha Altar, 593
Iconography: Buddha who presides over the Western Paradise; Pure Land Buddhist sect
Style: Based on a "columnar" style seen at the end of the Six Dynasties period, but softer; transitional style
Change in style reflects more direct contacts with India and Central Asia
Comparison
Summary
Iconography
Pure Land Buddhism becomes popular
Style
Reflects more direct contacts with India and Central Asia
Stimulus: influence of Gupta sculpture
Body more solid, plastic
Less interest in ornamentation
Reticence, understatement (Chinese aesthetic)
Serene expression evokes deep spiritual content
Tang Dynasty
618 - 907
Location
Historical Context
Capital at Chang’an: greatest city in the world at the time
Prosperity
Foreign trade expanded (Chinese goods found throughout Asia and the Middle East)
Buddhism flourished
Important cave shrines at Tianlongshan and new shrines Longmen
Pure Land and Esoteric sects
Diverse, vital culture
Cave Shrines at Tianlongshan
Bodhisattvas, ca. 700
Based on renewed study of Gupta sculpture
Advanced naturalism, relaxed poses
Solid, weighty forms
Drapery appears to have weight, texture, substance
Ceramic Sculpture:
Tomb Figurines
Camel Bearing Troupe of Central Asian Musicians, ca. 700-750
One of two general types of ceramic:
Earthenware glazed with a "three-color" lead glaze
Painted earthenware
Placed in groups in the tomb, along with other objects
Tomb Figurines:
Subject and Style
Subjects and style reflect the cosmopolitan Tang culture
Subjects from the Silk Route trade, foreign subjects
Naturalism in Buddhist art becomes a vivid, life-evoking "realism"
Summary
Buddhist Church reaches the height of its power and influence; widespread government-led persecutions against the clergy in the 9th century
Renewed trade contacts in India and Central Asia