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The Qingzhou Buddhas
The sports world will have their eyes on Beijing as the Olympics open in August. For the art fans Australia hosts an important exhibition of Chinese Buddhist Sculpture; these antiquities are part of one of the most important archeological discoveries of the 20th Century. Lost Buddhas:
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Just over 10 years ago, in 1996, construction workers in the Qingzhou stumbled across one of the most important finds of the 20th Century. |
In the process of leveling a sports field in Qingzhou, which is located in Weifang City, Shandong Province, eastern China; the workers came across 400 stone Buddhist sculptures.
In much earlier times the site was the location of Longxing (Dragon Rise) Temple in Qingzhou in Shandong province in eastern China
It is believed the Buddhas were buried during the Song Dynasty Emperor Huizong's repression of Buddhism. Huizong practiced Taoism.
Dating from the 6th century the Buddhas were carefully wrapped and buried in a pit built for the purpose of preservation and keeping them hidden. It is believed the burial took place during the 12th century.
The Qingzhou Municipal Museum has loaned 35 of the best preserved and most exquisite sculptures from the Qingzhou discovery to the Art Gallery of New South Wales in Australia. The Lost Buddhas will be on display from 29 August to 23 November.
Title: Seated Figure of a Buddha
Northern Qi (550-577)
Dimensions: Limestone Height 64 cm
Image Courtesy: Art Gallery New South Wales Sydney
The AGNSW is thrilled to host this exhibit. Art Gallery director Edmund Capon said, "What is so surprising about these sculptures is, firstly, their sheer modernity and, secondly, how distinguished and distinctive they are in their place in the history of Chinese art and Chinese Buddhist sculpture. I still, when looking at these now familiar sculptures, am struck by their innovation and their moving interpretation of spiritual and human values."
Must of the original pigment and gilding had survived the burial process. Many of the figures were carved from fine-grained, pale grey limestone which allows a high degree of precision and a silky-smooth finish. Several are monumental in size: one in particular is 312 cm high and 180 cm wide and, weighing over a ton, is the largest stele in existence.
Lost Buddhas:
Chinese Buddhist sculpture from Qingzhou
Art Gallery New South Wales Sydney:
August 29 – November 23, 2008