The state religion of the Yuan Dynasty was the Sakya Sect, which was founded in 1073. Because the location of the Sakya Temple, the main temple of the sect, was gray-white, it was named Sakya and belonged to Tibetan Buddhism. The statues of the Ming Dynasty belong to the Han trad

The state religion of the Yuan Dynasty was the Sakya Sect ( Flower Sect), which was founded in 1073. Because the main temple of the sect was gray-white, it was named Sakya (meaning white soil in Tibetan), and it belonged to Tibetan Buddhism.

The Ming Dynasty statues belong to the Han tradition, and there are still some traces of the Han tradition statues in the early period. The art of Yongxuan court statues was a peak of Ming Dynasty statues, which was never surpassed during the entire Ming and Qing dynasties.

What kind of shape is the Yongxuan palace statue?

image characteristics: the gold water is soft and warm, and the clothing lines are smooth, delicate and round. Hairstyle: Buddha statue has snail hair with a bun on top and orbs on it. Bodhisattvas usually wear both a crown and a bun. The bun is high on the top of the head in the shape of a column, and the remaining hair hangs back naturally. The hair strands are clearly identifiable. The ends of the hair are curved together at the ears, and a braid is separated from the ears and hangs down on the shoulders. The bottom of the crown is tied with a rolled treasure silk ribbon, and the exposed skin is mostly painted with cold gold. There are generally no chiseled patterns on the edges of the clothing, but patterns with wax-like protrusions in the front. The lotus pedestal is mostly decorated with lotus petals, and the bead decorations on the lotus pedestal are mostly round beads. The bottom sealing method usually uses the stacking method. The bottom plate is engraved with cross vajra and coated with cinnabar. The statues and base plates are mostly made of brass. The marking technique is mostly chiseled, and the reading method is usually from left to right. The weight of the statue is moderate.

This series of statues has a variety of themes. The overall art absorbs the artistic styles of Tibetan and Nepalese statues of this period, and also incorporates the Chinese aesthetics of the mainland. Judging from the local characteristics of the statues, there are also differences in the Yongxuan statues, which can be roughly divided into three periods, namely the early Yongle period, the late Yongle period and the Xuande period.

The early Yongle period was the creation period of Ming court statues. The statue has a beautiful body, charming face, intricate decoration, elegant temperament and fine workmanship. Its overall shape and decorative style are basically finalized, but some parts of it retain the legacy of Indian and Nepalese statues. The most prominent are the lotus petals on the lotus seat, which are slender and full, strong, graceful and full of charm. Typical examples include the 19-centimeter sandalwood Buddha statue in Spearman's old collection. The late Yongle period was the finalization period for Ming court statues. The postures of the statues tend to be more stable, and dynamic postures like three-folded branches are rarely seen. The faces are broad and flat, and the eyebrows and eyes are straight. They have obvious Han facial features. The most prominent feature is the lotus petals, which are significantly wider and fuller than those in the early Yongle period. The heads of the lotus petals have curly grass patterns. A typical example is the gilt bronze Sakyamuni Buddha statue sold at Sotheby's Hong Kong in 2006.

The Xuande period, mainly during the reign of Emperor Xuande (1426-1435), was the development period of Ming court statues. It inherits the characteristics of the late Yongle period, but the body becomes more majestic; the face becomes more Chinese and masculine; the appearance changes from graceful to solemn. The lotus petals are wider and fuller, and the curly grass pattern on the head of the lotus petals is more complicated and decorative; the texture of the clothing pattern is also stronger than that of the Yongle period; the volume is generally increased; the overall style and expression techniques are close to those of the Yongle period. It is worth noting that among the existing Yongxuan statues, there are fewer statues from the Xuande period than those from Yongle. This should be a true reflection of the actual situation of Yongxuan palace statues.

The Yongxuan court cast such a sacred Buddha statue and gave it to Tibetan compatriots, which expressed deep religious concern and showed the lofty ambition and mind of the politician; at the same time, through this reward, it also enriched the themes and shapes of the Ming Dynasty palace statues and Tibetan Buddhist art, adding new content and color to the artistic exchange of Sino-Tibetan Buddhist statues at that time.

What are Yongxuan style statues, which are statues in the mid-Ming Dynasty (late Xuande to Zhengde).

For example, The Palace Museum has a Guanyin Bodhisattva statue that dates back to the 6th year of the Ming Dynasty. The whole image is obviously a continuation of the Yongxuan palace statue style. Its Yingluo style also basically copies the style of the Yongxuan statue. It should be a statue cast in Beijing, reflecting the huge influence of the overall style of Yongxuan statues in the mainland.

The Forbidden City Collection in the 6th year of orthodoxy

The riding elephant Puxian Bodhisattva statue collected by the Palace Museum is a typical Yongxuan style statue in the mid-Ming Dynasty. The style of the entire statue directly inherits the style tradition of Yongxuan statues, but its subject matter is obviously used for worship in mainland Chinese Buddhism

This Medicine Buddha shows a relatively obvious Yongxuan palace style. The establishment of the palace style of Buddhist statue art in the Yongle and Xuande dynasties of the Ming Dynasty brought the development of statue art in the Ming Dynasty to its peak of prosperity. The statue art of this period showed a fixed gorgeous style and exquisite style features, which provided a standard basis for the continuation of the style of official statues later. This statue of Sakyamuni in the 15th century is a standard statue of Yongxuan style produced after the Yongxuan style matured. Its shape and craftsmanship continue the essence of Yongxuan style sculpture art.

The statue of the late Ming Dynasty is what we often call the Big-headed Buddha (JiajingLongqing Wanli)

Jiajing period, Jiajing Emperor could no longer satisfy spiritual pursuits and paid more attention to life and death. In this way, Taoism , which was native to the Central Plains, came into the sight of Emperor Jiajing. He ordered the destruction of Tibetan gold and bronze Buddha statues in the palace many times. As a result, Chinese Buddhism and its sculpture art re-emerged.

During the Wanli period, the Empress Dowager Cisheng devoted herself to Buddhism, and the art of Han statues flourished. However, the styles of the statues were almost unified: they all had large heads and long bodies, plump bodies, sitting upright, and the upright and elegant Han aesthetic style. This is not only the case among the people, but also the royal family or the majestic temples have begun to cast a large number of gilt bronze Buddhas to decorate the scales. Although the style of the statues is similar to the folk statues, they are often regular in proportion, larger in size, plump and strong, with simple and smooth lines, plump but not empty, close to people but not vulgar.

This bronze statue was made in the Ming Dynasty, with a total height of 43.5 cm, a body width of 14.65 cm, and a seat height of 7.44 cm.

The back of the bronze statue is chiselled: "Wanli Wuwu Mengxia Buddhist disciple Ye Daoqing built it" , that is, this bronze statue was built in the forty-sixth year of Wanli (1618).

Wanli statue of Sakyamuni in the late Ming Dynasty.

This bronze statue of Guanyin is 26cm high, 15.5cm wide, and weighs 5 and a half pounds. It is gilded and cast, with exquisite shape, lifelike characters, advanced technology, meticulous workmanship, and overall beautiful appearance. During the Jiajing period of the Ming Dynasty, there was a third-grade official named Zhang in the imperial court. He was an upright person and an honest official. He has seven sons, and he has been strict in their education since childhood. The ancestral precepts require that the descendants of the Zhang family must not rely on the blessing of their fathers, and must leave home and develop in various places when they grow up. To facilitate the search for ancestors in the future, the branches of the seven brothers are marked with seven bronze Bodhisattvas, and those with bronze statues are of the same lineage.

This bronze statue of Guanyin is made of brass. On the back is engraved "Made on an auspicious day in March of the 42nd year of Jiajing in the Ming Dynasty (that is, March 1563 AD). The person is believed to be Yan Boyi, a member of the Liu family who lived in the same room of Yan Jing." This object is a witness to our country's population migration and a symbol of our country's ancient craftsmanship. It is of great value for us to study demography, ethnology, folklore, and Ming Dynasty craftsmanship, especially the current clean life, clear officialdom, and honest work.

Statue of Sakyamuni in Jiajing, Ming Dynasty.