Longxing Temple: Vairocana Buddha

CHINA, Shandong, Qingzhou; Northern Qi dynasty

Vairocana Buddha wears a thin monastic robe that is painted with a field-like grid. A variety of colors are used, including red, blue, green, ocher, yellow and black. An image at the center of the chest contains a Buddha and two Bodhisattvas. Three other figures can be found at the upper left section, their features and the kaftans they wear identifying them as Persians. The meaning behind such figures, deriving from various scriptural and literary sources, suggests the Buddha’s cosmic body is capable of including all things.
Enough remains of the statue to see that the right hand steadies the fall of the robe over the wrist and the shape of the legs show through the tight-fitting material.