Longhua Temple: Standing Bodhisattva
Gilt bronze
Longhua Temple: Standing Bodhisattva
CHINA, Shandong, Binzhou; Northern Qi dynasty
This Bodhisattva was excavated from the site of Longhua Temple in 1983. The figure is depicted standing on an inverted lotus pedestal that is mounted on a four-legged stand. The hands are in the traditional abhaya (fearlessness) and varada (wish-granting) mudras. On the head is an ornate headdress with strings of beads dangling from its sides. The rest of the body is also decorated with long necklaces and a stole that hangs down below the pedestal.
The mandorla is ornate, containing a radiating nimbus and aureole that are enclosed by stylized patterns of flames. The inscription on the back dates the statue to 554 of the Northern Qi dynasty and names Xue Mingling as the woman who commissioned it.
For more details, go to the Encyclopedia of Buddhist Arts: Sculpture G-M, page 618.
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 = 618,
title = {{Longhua Temple: Standing Bodhisattva}},
volume = 11,
year = {2016}}