Tianlongshan Caves: Head of a Bodhisattva
Sandstone
Tianlongshan Caves: Head of a Bodhisattva
CHINA, Shanxi, Taiyuan; Tang dynasty
The head originally adorned a statue at the Tianlongshan Caves in Shanxi. The Bodhisattva’s hair is dressed in thin plaits tied in a topknot, below which is a jewel. Seemingly tilted to one side, the Bodhisattva shows a compassionate expression on the rounded face. The lips of the small month are slightly parted. The neck has the three lines thought to distinguish a great person. It has been suggested that the head belongs to a flanking Bodhisattva that formed part of a triad in Cave 21, and that the figure was seated in the royal ease posture.
For more details, go to the Encyclopedia of Buddhist Arts: Caves T-Z, page 1457.
Cite this article:
Hsingyun, et al. "Tianlongshan Caves: Head of a Bodhisattva." Encyclopedia of Buddhist Arts: Caves T-Z, vol. 9, 2016, pp. 1457.
Hsingyun, Youheng, Peter Johnson, Mankuang, Susan Huntington, Gary Edson, and Robert Neather. 2016. "Tianlongshan Caves: Head of a Bodhisattva" In Encyclopedia of Buddhist Arts: Caves T-Z, 9:1457.
Hsingyun, Youheng, Johnson, P., Mankuang, Huntington, S., Edson, G., & Neather, R.. (2016). Tianlongshan Caves: Head of a Bodhisattva. In Encyclopedia of Buddhist Arts: Caves T-Z (Vol. 9, pp. 1457).
@misc{Hsingyun2016,
author = Hsingyun and Youheng and Johnson, Peter and Mankuang and Huntington, Susan and Edson, Gary and Neather, Robert,
booktitle = {Encyclopedia of Buddhist Arts: Caves T-Z},
pages = 1457,
title = {{Tianlongshan Caves: Head of a Bodhisattva}},
volume = 9,
year = {2016}}
author = Hsingyun and Youheng and Johnson, Peter and Mankuang and Huntington, Susan and Edson, Gary and Neather, Robert,
booktitle = {Encyclopedia of Buddhist Arts: Caves T-Z},
pages = 1457,
title = {{Tianlongshan Caves: Head of a Bodhisattva}},
volume = 9,
year = {2016}}