Fogong Temple Shijia Pagoda: Sakyamuni Buddha Assembly

CHINA, Shanxi, Shuozhou; Liao dynasty

This artwork was discovered in the Shijia Pagoda in 1974 together with other Buddhist artifacts such as the Khitan Tripitaka, sutra transcriptions, and paintings of Medicine Buddha Teaching the Dharma and Shennong Collecting Medicinal Herbs. Two other similar images of Sakyamuni Buddha were also discovered.
Wearing a red monastic robe, Sakyamuni Buddha sits on a lotus throne with his hands placed on his knees. The canopy above the nimbus is decorated with entwining branches and flowers on the sides. The Buddha is flanked by standing disciples and Bodhisattvas. Young attendants stand beside the throne with their palms joined. The cartouches on the left and right side are mirror images of each other, both reading “Homage to Sakyamuni Buddha.”
The image was made by stencil printing, a process that was popular during the Sui (581–618) and Tang (618–907) dynasties. Half of the image was first carved on to a woodblock, and then printed on half of a piece of silk. The silk was then folded, creating a single image with two symmetrical sides. Details and colors were added to the silk after printing.