The period of the Northern Wei dynasty was crucial to the development of Buddhist art in China. Prior to this there was a heavy reliance on foreign-derived models, especially  More »

The period of the Northern Wei dynasty was crucial to the development of Buddhist art in China. Prior to this there was a heavy reliance on foreign-derived models, especially from India, the birthplace of Buddhism. During the fifth and sixth centuries Chinese artists began to experiment and produced new styles unique to the region. This was made possible because the Northern Wei dynasty lent its support to the Buddhist faith. The cave sites at Yungang and Longmen attest to the flourishing of Buddhist piety and it has been estimated that by the sixth century there were over 30,000 monasteries in Northern China. Multiple images of the Buddha and his attendants were carved in stone, wood and clay.This rectangular brick tile comes from a large group that probably formed the interior wall of a religious foundation or shrine. It is moulded from a dark grey clay that was fired and then painted. Traces of the original red pigment are still visible in the rectangular niche. An overlapping triangular frieze runs along the top of the frame above the image of a seated Buddha. It is unusual for this type of architectural fragment to survive from such an early period and it will appeal to all those fascinated by the history of Buddhism. - (AM.0242)   « Less

The period of the Northern Wei dynasty was crucial to the development of Buddhist art in China. Prior to this there was a heavy reliance on foreign-derived models, especially  More »

The period of the Northern Wei dynasty was crucial to the development of Buddhist art in China. Prior to this there was a heavy reliance on foreign-derived models, especially from India, the birthplace of Buddhism. During the fifth and sixth centuries Chinese artists began to experiment and produced new styles unique to the region. This was made possible because the Northern Wei dynasty lent its support to the Buddhist faith. The cave sites at Yungang and Longmen attest to the flourishing of Buddhist piety and it has been estimated that by the sixth century there were over 30,000 monasteries in Northern China. Multiple images of the Buddha and his attendants were carved in stone, wood and clay.This rectangular brick tile comes from a large group that probably formed the interior wall of a religious foundation or shrine. It is moulded from a dark grey clay that was fired and then painted. Traces of the original red pigment are still visible in the niche. The Buddha is seated on a bench with his legs crossed. The right hand is raised in a gesture of reassurance and the left rests upon the knee. The leaf-shaped mandorla is echoed by the shape of the top of the niche. The drapery falls over the left shoulder in elegant ‘s’ shaped folds. It is unusual for this type of architectural fragment to survive from such an early period and it will appeal to all those fascinated by the history of Buddhism. - (AM.0243)   « Less

The period of the Northern Wei dynasty was crucial to the development of Buddhist art in China. Prior to this there was a heavy reliance on foreign-derived models, especially  More »

The period of the Northern Wei dynasty was crucial to the development of Buddhist art in China. Prior to this there was a heavy reliance on foreign-derived models, especially from India, the birthplace of Buddhism. During the fifth and sixth centuries Chinese artists began to experiment and produced new styles unique to the region. This was made possible because the Northern Wei dynasty lent its support to the Buddhist faith. The cave sites at Yungang and Longmen attest to the flourishing of Buddhist piety and it has been estimated that by the sixth century there were over 30,000 monasteries in Northern China. Multiple images of the Buddha and his attendants were carved in stone, wood and clay.This rectangular brick tile comes from a large group that probably formed the interior wall of a religious foundation or shrine. It is moulded from a dark grey clay that was fired and then painted. Traces of the original red pigment are still visible in the niche. The Buddha is standing and holds a double drum. The leaf-shaped mandorla is echoed by the shape of the top of the niche. It is unusual for this type of architectural fragment to survive from such an early period and it will appeal to all those fascinated by the history of Buddhism. - (AM.0244)   « Less

The period of the Northern Wei dynasty was crucial to the development of Buddhist art in China. Prior to this there was a heavy reliance on foreign-derived models, especially  More »

The period of the Northern Wei dynasty was crucial to the development of Buddhist art in China. Prior to this there was a heavy reliance on foreign-derived models, especially from India, the birthplace of Buddhism. During the fifth and sixth centuries Chinese artists began to experiment and produced new styles unique to the region. This was made possible because the Northern Wei dynasty lent its support to the Buddhist faith. The cave sites at Yungang and Longmen attest to the flourishing of Buddhist piety and it has been estimated that by the sixth century there were over 30,000 monasteries in Northern China. Multiple images of the Buddha and his attendants were carved in stone, wood and clay.This rectangular brick tile comes from a large group that probably formed the interior wall of a religious foundation or shrine. It is moulded from a dark grey clay that was fired and then painted. Traces of the original red pigment are still visible in the niche. The brick depicts a standing bodhisattva with the hands clasped beneath an elaborate fold of drapery. Two circular medallions have been fixed on the shoulders and the figure wears an ornate headdress. The leaf-shaped shaped mandorla is echoed by the form of the top of the frame. It is unusual for this type of architectural fragment to survive from such an early period and it will appeal to all those fascinated by the history of Buddhism. - (AM.0246)   « Less

The period of the Northern Wei dynasty was crucial to the development of Buddhist art in China. Prior to this there was a heavy reliance on foreign-derived models, especially  More »

The period of the Northern Wei dynasty was crucial to the development of Buddhist art in China. Prior to this there was a heavy reliance on foreign-derived models, especially from India, the birthplace of Buddhism. During the fifth and sixth centuries Chinese artists began to experiment and produced new styles unique to the region. This was made possible because the Northern Wei dynasty lent its support to the Buddhist faith. The cave sites at Yungang and Longmen attest to the flourishing of Buddhist piety and it has been estimated that by the sixth century there were over 30,000 monasteries in Northern China. Multiple images of the Buddha and his attendants were carved in stone, wood and clay.This rectangular brick tile comes from a large group that probably formed the interior wall of a religious foundation or shrine. It is moulded from a dark grey clay that was fired and then painted. Traces of the original orange/red pigment are still visible in the niche. The brick depicts a Buddha seated on a double lotus throne with his hands arranged in the gesture of charity. It is unusual for this type of architectural fragment to survive from such an early period and it will appeal to all those fascinated by the history of Buddhism. - (AM.0247)   « Less

The period of the Northern Wei dynasty was crucial to the development of Buddhist art in China. Prior to this there was a heavy reliance on foreign-derived models, especially  More »

The period of the Northern Wei dynasty was crucial to the development of Buddhist art in China. Prior to this there was a heavy reliance on foreign-derived models, especially from India, the birthplace of Buddhism. During the fifth and sixth centuries Chinese artists began to experiment and produced new styles unique to the region. This was made possible because the Northern Wei dynasty lent its support to the Buddhist faith. The cave sites at Yungang and Longmen attest to the flourishing of Buddhist piety and it has been estimated that by the sixth century there were over 30,000 monasteries in Northern China. Multiple images of the Buddha and his attendants were carved in stone, wood and clay.This rectangular brick tile comes from a large group that probably formed the interior wall of a religious foundation or shrine. It is moulded from a dark grey clay that was fired and then painted. Traces of the original red pigment are still visible in the niche. The brick depicts a Buddhist figure standing with his hands clasped together in a gesture of prayer or devotion. A circular mandorla surrounds the head and unusually overlaps the top of the torso. The figure wears an elaborate crown and bracelets around the wrists. The drapery clings to the body in folds but flutters out to the sides of the legs. - (AM.0248)   « Less

The period of the Northern Wei dynasty was crucial to the development of Buddhist art in China. Prior to this there was a heavy reliance on foreign-derived models, especially  More »

The period of the Northern Wei dynasty was crucial to the development of Buddhist art in China. Prior to this there was a heavy reliance on foreign-derived models, especially from India, the birthplace of Buddhism. During the fifth and sixth centuries Chinese artists began to experiment and produced new styles unique to the region. This was made possible because the Northern Wei dynasty lent its support to the Buddhist faith. The cave sites at Yungang and Longmen attest to the flourishing of Buddhist piety and it has been estimated that by the sixth century there were over 30,000 monasteries in Northern China. Multiple images of the Buddha and his attendants were carved in stone, wood and clay.This rectangular brick tile comes from a large group that probably formed the interior wall of a religious foundation or shrine. It is moulded from a dark grey clay that was fired and then painted. Traces of the original red pigment are still visible in the niche. The brick depicts a Buddhist figure standing with his hands clasped together holding an unidentifiable object. The drapery is elegantly arranged, especially the scarf that falls over the shoulders and crosses over beneath the waist. The head is adorned with a lotus leaf crown and the ears are elongated. It is rare for such architectural fragments to survive from the Northern Wei period. - (AM.0249)   « Less

The period of the Northern Wei dynasty was crucial to the development of Buddhist art in China. Prior to this there was a heavy reliance on foreign-derived models, especially  More »

The period of the Northern Wei dynasty was crucial to the development of Buddhist art in China. Prior to this there was a heavy reliance on foreign-derived models, especially from India, the birthplace of Buddhism. During the fifth and sixth centuries Chinese artists began to experiment and produced new styles unique to the region. This was made possible because the Northern Wei dynasty lent its support to the Buddhist faith. The cave sites at Yungang and Longmen attest to the flourishing of Buddhist piety and it has been estimated that by the sixth century there were over 30,000 monasteries in Northern China. Multiple images of the Buddha and his attendants were carved in stone, wood and clay.This rectangular brick tile comes from a large group that probably formed the interior wall of a religious foundation or shrine. It is moulded from a dark grey clay that was fired and then painted. Traces of the original red pigment are still visible in the niche. The brick depicts a bodhisattva standing with his right hand in the gesture of teaching. The figure wears an elaborate headdress, bracelets around the wrists and a long scarf that encircles the torso. A leaf- shaped mandorla frames the head and echoes the shape of the top of the niche. It is rare for such architectural fragments to survive from the Northern Wei period. - (AM.0250)   « Less

The period of the Northern Wei dynasty was crucial to the development of Buddhist art in China. Prior to this there was a heavy reliance on foreign-derived models, especially  More »

The period of the Northern Wei dynasty was crucial to the development of Buddhist art in China. Prior to this there was a heavy reliance on foreign-derived models, especially from India, the birthplace of Buddhism. During the fifth and sixth centuries Chinese artists began to experiment and produced new styles unique to the region. This was made possible because the Northern Wei dynasty lent its support to the Buddhist faith. The cave sites at Yungang and Longmen attest to the flourishing of Buddhist piety and it has been estimated that by the sixth century there were over 30,000 monasteries in Northern China. Multiple images of the Buddha and his attendants were carved in stone, wood and clay.This rectangular brick tile comes from a large group that probably formed the interior wall of a religious foundation or shrine. It is moulded from a dark grey clay that was fired and then painted. Traces of the original red pigment are still visible in the rectangular niche. The brick depicts a seated Buddhist figure with the left arm raised and the right held just below waist level. The drapery clings to the body in curved folds. It is rare for such architectural fragments to survive from the Northern Wei period. - (AM.0251)   « Less

Origin: China Circa: 386 AD to 534 AD Dimensions: 12.5" (31.8cm) high x 6.25 " (15.9cm) wide Collection: Chinese Art Style: Northern Wei Dynasty Medium: Clay

Origin: China Circa: 386 AD to 534 AD Dimensions: 12.5" (31.8cm) high x 6.25 " (15.9cm) wide Collection: Chinese Art Style: Northern Wei Dynasty Medium: Clay   « Less