422

424 (most likely 424)

16.7 centimetres

6.5 centimetres

N/A

6.1 centimetres

N/A

HKU.B.1970.0442

The Standing Buddha sculpture is a prominent object of worship throughout Chinese History, with Buddhism becoming the dominant religion of China from the Han Dynasty onward.

The Buddhist sculpture belongs to the Southern Song Dynasty of the 5th Century, an era marked by prolonged and endemic political instability. Peace, especially inner peace, is an essential value promoted by Buddhism, which many believers would seek to reach, not despite of, but because of the hardship encountered in their daily lives.

The design of the Buddhist sculpture generally takes resemblance to other such sculptures of the time. One prime example is the large water lily (lotus) leaf behind Buddha. In Buddhist beliefs and symbolism, the lotus represents purity of the body, speech and mind, as if floating above the murky waters of material attachment and physical desire. According to legend, Gautama Buddha's first steps made lotus flowers appear everywhere he stepped. The lotus leaf also represents tranquility, and moral superiority, key traits every Buddhist would seek to reach. Thus, the addition of the lotus to the Buddha statue not only represents the importance of self-identity crucial within Buddhism, but also the piousness and devotion of the artist himself towards Buddhism.

Another notable detail is the descriptions engraved on the backside of the lotus leaf, written in Middle Chinese. It roughly records the date of creation of the sculpture, then records the personal views and beliefs of the artist himself towards the Buddhist religion, which includes his worldview and what he considers a utopian society, one where all lives live in harmony, a key Buddhist belief. This might be written as a sign of hope, as the era when the sculpture was made was marked by political instability and turmoil.

From a material perspective, the Bronze-Silver alloy structure suggests that the sculpture likely belongs to a semi-wealthy, middle class and well-to-do owner, as poorer peasants could only afford cheaper stone sculptures, while the ruling class aristocrats would have access to more exquisite Silver was an expensive metal back then. this sculpture serves more as a transitional turning point of Buddhist art and sculpturing. Gone were the early stone and purely copper sculptures (occasionally Jaded for more exquisite and luxurious ones) of the Han Dynasty (202 BC-220 AD), yet the trend for golden Buddhist sculptures of the Tang Dynasty (618 AD-907 AD) had yet to come. The result is a mixture of Bronze and Silver, a transitional material.