Guoqing Temple Great Hero Hall Sculptures: Sakyamuni Buddha
Guoqing Temple Great Hero Hall Sculptures
CHINA, Zhejiang, Taizhou; Yuan to Ming dynasty
The Great Hero Hall enshrines a gilt copper alloy statue of Sakyamuni Buddha from the Ming dynasty (1368–1644), and gilded wooden statues of the Eighteen Arhats from the Yuan dynasty (1271–1368).
Sakyamuni Buddha sits in dhyana (meditation) mudra on a throne consisting of three layers of lotus petals. The figure wears a monastic robe covering both shoulders but is opened at the front. A large ornate mandorla behind the Buddha consists of seven Buddhas seated inside a sea of flames. An intersecting nimbus and an aureole is separated by this within an inner circle. The disciples Mahakasyapa and Ananda stand on either side of the Buddha while the Eighteen Arhats line the sides of the hall. All vary in pose and have different facial expressions and clothing.
For more details, go to the Encyclopedia of Buddhist Arts: Sculpture G-M, page 402.
Cite this article:
author = Hsingyun and Youheng and Lovelock, Yann and Chou, Yuan and Huntington, Susan and Edson, Gary and Neather, Robert,
booktitle = {Encyclopedia of Buddhist Arts: Sculpture G-M},
pages = 402,
title = {{Guoqing Temple Great Hero Hall Sculptures}},
volume = 11,
year = {2016}}