Anyue Vairocana Cave 8: Heavenly King
Stone
Anyue Vairocana Cave 8: Heavenly King
CHINA, Sichuan, Ziyang; Northern Song dynasty
Located to the left of the cave entrance, the Heavenly King is sculpted with deep eyes, a prominent nose, downward-turned lips, and a broad chin. He wears a winged helmet, body armor, and a long, draped cape. His right hand holds an axe while his left hand is placed on top of his right arm. The sculpture is delicately carved, demonstrating a high level of skill and attention to detail. The contrasting textures of the woven cloak, metallic helmet, and rough face give the figure a particularly realistic and imposing appearance. The king’s dress and character resemble that of a warrior from the Northern Song dynasty (960–1127).
For more details, go to the Encyclopedia of Buddhist Arts: Caves A-E, page 76.
Cite this article:
Hsingyun, et al. "Anyue Vairocana Cave 8: Heavenly King." Encyclopedia of Buddhist Arts: Caves A-E, vol. 5, 2016, pp. 76.
Hsingyun, Youheng, Peter Johnson, Mankuang, Susan Huntington, Gary Edson, and Robert Neather. 2016. "Anyue Vairocana Cave 8: Heavenly King" In Encyclopedia of Buddhist Arts: Caves A-E, 5:76.
Hsingyun, Youheng, Johnson, P., Mankuang, Huntington, S., Edson, G., & Neather, R.. (2016). Anyue Vairocana Cave 8: Heavenly King. In Encyclopedia of Buddhist Arts: Caves A-E (Vol. 5, pp. 76).
@misc{Hsingyun2016,
author = Hsingyun and Youheng and Johnson, Peter and Mankuang and Huntington, Susan and Edson, Gary and Neather, Robert,
booktitle = {Encyclopedia of Buddhist Arts: Caves A-E},
pages = 76,
title = {{Anyue Vairocana Cave 8: Heavenly King}},
volume = 5,
year = {2016}}
author = Hsingyun and Youheng and Johnson, Peter and Mankuang and Huntington, Susan and Edson, Gary and Neather, Robert,
booktitle = {Encyclopedia of Buddhist Arts: Caves A-E},
pages = 76,
title = {{Anyue Vairocana Cave 8: Heavenly King}},
volume = 5,
year = {2016}}