Xi’an: Standing Buddha
Stone
Xi’an: Standing Buddha
CHINA, Shaanxi, Xi’an; Northern Zhou dynasty
This statue was among a group of finds discovered in Baqiao district of Xi’an in 2004. They included five standing Buddhas and four thrones, one of which had an inscription that dated it to 580. All the Buddhas are similar in design and size, and show characteristics of Northern Zhou dynasty (557–581) statues. This find is currently the largest group of free standing Buddha statues from that dynasty.
The figure shown here stands with one hand raised in abhaya (fearlessness) mudra and the other holding a corner of the monastic robe in a manner inherited from Indian models. The robe is, however, worn in the Chinese style that covers both shoulders, with a low opening at the front revealing the inner robe underneath. The garments ripple downwards and outwards in decorative layers. The Buddha stands on an inverted lotus pedestal and many parts of the surface have traces of gilding.
For more details, go to the Encyclopedia of Buddhist Arts: Sculpture St-Z, page 1367.
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 = 1367,
title = {{Xi’an: Standing Buddha}},
volume = 13,
year = {2016}}