Zhenguo Temple Ten Thousand Buddha Hall Sculptures (panoramic view)
Clay
Zhenguo Temple Ten Thousand Buddha Hall Sculptures: Child Making an Offering
Zhenguo Temple Ten Thousand Buddha Hall Sculptures
CHINA, Shanxi, Jinzhong; Northern Han Kingdom
The sculptures within the Ten Thousand Buddha Hall include Sakyamuni Buddha flanked by ten attendants. The Buddha is seated in full lotus position at the center with his right hand in abhaya (fearlessness) mudra. His waist is elongated. An ornate mandorla rises behind the throne. The disciples Mahakasyapa and Ananda stand on each side while four Bodhisattvas and two Heavenly Kings stand in rows. Near the center, two children kneel on raised lotuses and make offerings.
Apart from the Buddha, who is dated later, the statues date from the Five Dynasties (907–960) period, but their configuration is stylistically reminiscent of the Tang dynasty (618–907). They have been repainted and are the only other surviving relics from their period, apart from those found in the Dunhuang Caves.
For more details, go to the Encyclopedia of Buddhist Arts: Sculpture St-Z, page 1440.
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 St-Z},
pages = 1440,
title = {{Zhenguo Temple Ten Thousand Buddha Hall Sculptures}},
volume = 13,
year = {2016}}