Study On The Collection Of Northern Dynasty And Sui Dynasty Buddhist Stone Sculptures In American Museum

The United States has been a major overseas collector of lost Chinese artworks since the 19 th century.Its museum collection of Chinese Buddhist statues is a representative category of Chinese art collections.Its investigation and research is indispensable for the study of Buddhist art history,museology and other disciplines.There are a large number of Buddhist stone sculptures in the Northern Dynasties and Sui Dynasty,which are difficult to identify.However,special investigations and researches on losses and collections are inadequate.In addition,some Buddhist statues in China have been damaged or disappeared due to natural and human factors.Therefore,the dissertation is to conduct an investigation-based research on identification,loss,collection,acceptance as well as a special research on the Buddhist stone sculptures of the Northern Dynasties and Sui Dynasty in American museums.Initially,Forty-six American museums were found to have Chinese Buddhist sculptures.The preliminary identification shows that 38 of them have a total of 496 Buddhist stone sculptures from the Northern Dynasties and Sui Dynasty.Statistics and analysis of the themes,sources,collection time and the status quo of these Buddhist stone sculptures revealed that most of these sculptures are bodhisattva and Buddha;they were mainly from the late Northern Wei Dynasty to the Sui Dynasty;the collections are representative and systematic;the 1910 s was the peak of collection;and that it’s difficult to identify the provenance of the statues with no distinct regional style and no inscription.Methods of archaeological typology and style analysis are used to identify and study the stone Buddha and Bodhisattva of the Northern Dynasties and Sui Dynasty in American museums.That is,in order to remove the replicas and preserve the true collection,the appearance and tools of these Buddha and Bodhisattva sculptures are placed in the corresponding chronological sequence of the sculptures,combined with the inscriptions,information about the loss of the collections,the original environment of the sculptures,and so on.The age and provenance of the true sculptures were identified this way:Firstly,they were divided into two stages,from the late Northern Wei to the Eastern Wei and Western Wei Dynasties,from the Northern Qi and Northern Zhou Dynasties to the Sui Dynasty,and then further divided into the eastern central Plains and western Central Plains.The connotation and value of signature sculptures,representative sculptures rarely seen in China and inadequately researched was revealed to study the characteristics of the stone sculptures in different stages,regions,systems and the inter-regional influences,highlighting the research on the back-screen Buddha sculptures with apsaras adorned mandorla.The contemplative statues in China appeared in the Northern Dynasties and Sui Dynasty.According to the inscriptions,it is known that there are bodhisattva and Buddha sculptures in the contemplative statues,and the contemplative statues are valuable collections in American museums,so the contemplative statues are specially researched.By analyzing the distribution,popular era,surrounding spread and appellation in inscriptions,and summarizing the style of seated contemplative figures,as well as the evolution of the back screen,base and formats,it is found that Dingzhou in Hebei is the major center for the development of the contemplative image in the Northern Dynasties and Sui Dynasty,and that the development of contemplative statues in Dingzhou and Ye has different emphasis but with mutual influence.Based on the above research and in combination with stone materials,the authenticity,age and provenance of the contemplative statues in American museums were identified.The regional style of the seated contemplative statues under trees with dragons overhead is distinct.By analyzing the appellation,the content in inscriptions and the image characteristics,it is revealed that the statue is the refined expression and transformation of Prince Siddhartha’s cintana,Buddhahood,which is closely related to the Buddhist belief,especially the key Lotus Sutra.By analyzing the main links in the loss of Buddhist sculptures in modern China,and exploring the stages,characteristics and causes of the collection of Chinese stone Buddhist sculptures in the United States since the late 19 th century,it is found that the pioneers and forerunners are well versed in Chinese Buddhist thoughts and stone sculpture art.At the end of the 19 th century,the collection of East Asian art in the United States shifted from Japanism to Chinese Buddhist sculpture as the origin of Japanese Buddhist sculpture was traced.International antique dealers play a key role in the loss of Chinese Buddhist statues to the United States.The collection and acceptance of Stone Buddhist Sculptures of the Northern Dynasties and Sui Dynasty in the American Museums is explained with the spread of semiotics.It is pointed out that the main function of Chinese Stone Buddhist Sculptures changed from Buddhist propaganda to aesthetic and research.It is revealed that Chinese stone Buddhist statues are widely collected not only because of their unique beauty of art form,but also because of the Buddhist thoughts of diligence and introspection,which coincides with the inner cultivation of human nature in American mainstream Christian thoughts.The collection of Chinese stone Buddhist sculptures in American museums reflects that modern American society has shifted from understanding the modern ideas contained in Buddhist sculptures,appreciating the art forms,showing the achievements of Chinese art,to respecting multiculturalism.