Archaeology Magazine - May/June 1980 - 28

Attendantfigureslocatedon the right oftheseatedBuddha in thecentralPinyangcave, including(fromBuddha)a monk;Anada,
theyoungestdiscipleofBuddha;largeBodhisattva;smallerBodhisattvawithmissinghead;and standingBuddha.
walls collapsed, the central seated image was
badly damaged by exposure. Sand and earth,
blown by fierce and driving winds, eroded and
finally covered the crossed legs, forearms and
hands, while a large roughly repaired cavity blighted the lower left side of the chest. Fortunately, the
head and upper torso survived in better condition,
spared by a now vanished wooden canopy. The
square holes which once held its supporting beams
in place are still visible above either side of the
Buddha's head.
The later caves 1 through 15 differ from the
five early caves in architecture, sculptural styles
and iconographie subjects. The simplicity and monastic austerity of the first shrines give way to
complex and exuberant elaboration. Caves 9 and
10, for example, dated by inscription to the a.d.
480's, form a symmetric pair with connecting pillared porches across their front entrances. A
square pillar rises from floor to ceiling in the
center of the main sanctuaries. This pillar bears
the most important cult images in a form of an
Indian stupa - a monument containing Buddhist
relics. The faithful walk around the pillar in procession according to a ritual called circumambulation. Every inch of the walls, ceilings, niches and
central pillars teems with spiritual symbols and
celestial beings associated with Buddha. The
sculpture reflects rich western influences mixed
with traditional Chinese tastes. Brightly colored
plump caryatids, flowering vines and animal motifs point to the combined influences of Hellenistic,

Archaeology

Iranian, Gandharan, Indian and Central Asian art
styles carried to China by Buddhism.
The most significant stylistic change affecting
the subsequent development of Chinese Buddhist
art occurred toward the end of the fifth century
after Christ with the emergence of a very different
sculptural style. Buddhas found in caves 5 and 6,
as well as in the small niches at the western end of
the cliff, manifest a new elegance visible in the
changing proportions of the body and treatment of
the robes. No longer do the Buddha's robes hug and
accentuate the body's roundness and solidity. Instead, a more elongated body recedes behind a
cascade of drapery folds which display flaring
pointed edges. Solid, tangible, sculptural forms
become flatter, angular and more linear as the
vision of the Buddha becomes more Chinese. This
transformation reflects a characteristic preference
for two dimensional linear forms visible throughout the history of Chinese art.
T hese new stylistic elements become more mature in the Buddhist sculptures carved into the
gray limestone cliffs of Lungmen, the second cave
temple complex built by the T'o-pa Wei. Located
about 14 kilometers south of the capital city of
Loyang, Lungmen was opened in a.d. 494, the
same year that the T'o-pa emperor Hsiao Wen Ti
(reign a.d. 471-499) moved the capital from P'ingch'eng. Loyang sits near the Yellow River (Huang
He) in the heart of north China. This choice of a
new capital reflected the changing character of the

Archaeology Magazine - May/June 1980

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Archaeology Magazine - May/June 1980