Longxing Temple: Buddha Triad
Limestone
Longxing Temple: Buddha Triad
CHINA, Shandong, Qingzhou; Northern Qi dynasty
The ornate composition is carved in some detail and unites the Buddha and accompanying Bodhisattvas within a single mandorla. The Buddha has a lotus nimbus in low relief behind his head and traces of a painted aureole is visible on the stone. He wears a thin, tightly fitted monastic robe painted with field-like patterns. The folds over the wrist and where the hem overlaps the skirt are clearly defined and show the distant influence of the Indian Gupta style. The Bodhisattvas on either side have lavish crowns and wear long and intricate beaded ornaments over their robes.
Two dragons coil at the Buddha’s feet exhaling clouds that transform into lotuses. The layout of this triad is in the Northern Wei style, although the overall decorations are from the Northern Qi dynasty (550–577).
For more details, go to the Encyclopedia of Buddhist Arts: Sculpture G-M, page 632.
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 = 632,
title = {{Longxing Temple: Buddha Triad}},
volume = 11,
year = {2016}}