When construction workers began bulldozing land to make a sports field in the Shandong Province of China, they never expected to uncover thousands of pieces of Buddhist statues, dating from the sixth through the 12th century B.C.
The Arthur M. Sackler Gallery has assembled an exhibit, "Return of the Buddha: The Qingzhou Discoveries," featuring 33 of these statues. The pieces range from 529 to 577 B.C. The statues are extremely important because they have retained some of their original gilding and coloring, and offer viewers insight into one of largest ancient religious movements.
The discovery was made in Qingzhou, a small city along the northeast coast of China, just south of Beijing. The statues were all broken before they were buried, and some scholars believe this was a way of ceremoniously retiring the statues that still held much value. The pit where the statues were buried was about 2 meters deep and covered 60 square meters.
The pieces were well preserved and seemed to have been wrapped in reed mats before being buried. The less damaged pieces were laid in the center of the pit and the broken pieces around the outer edge.
The presentation of the statues is exquisitely simple and appropriate. The walls of the exhibit are mostly a dark black-blue with the accent of a bold rust-red. These particular colors complement the pigmentation of the statues. The Buddha's skin would have been gold gilding, some of which remains - his hair, a dark blue color, and his garments, a rich red. These colors have faded over the years in the soil, but it is clear that they were once very vibrant to indicate the Buddha's power.
The entrance to the exhibit is framed with dark blue and red banners that lead into an open room where the first, and largest piece, is displayed. The statue is fixed together like a puzzle with a few missing pieces. It is about 3 meters tall and only about a handspan in width. The entrance room flows into four more rooms full of slightly damaged and repaired statues.
The statues are raised off the ground on 2- to 3-foot blocks, or hung on the walls as they would have been in Buddhist temples. This height allows worshipers to observe the statue form from a reverent position where they are able to catch the Buddha's downcast gaze. Standing in front of and below the statues emphasizes the power of the Buddha once again.
The splendor of the exhibit is in the diversity of the style of the statues from a relatively short 50-year period. This is due to the three different dynasties that were in control during that time: the Northern Wei, the Eastern Wei and the Northern Qi. There are remarkable differences in facial features, garments and the shape of the body from one statue to the next.
Although Qingzhou is a small city, it was probably a local center of politics and religion. There was probably interaction with southern China and South East Asia through the coastal ports. Buddhism was introduced to China along the Silk Road and Qingzhou's location along the route would have led to an influx of foreign ideas and products.
The sharing of multiple religious ideas, interpretations and art influenced the diversity of the pieces that are displayed in the exhibit. However, these statues embody only one area in China during a short period of time, so they are not a representation of all Buddhist art.
The Buddhist culture and religion are important in understanding the value of the statues on display in the Sackler Gallery. Therefore, historical information is provided on The Sackler Gallery Web site, wall-text and tour.
