General Information: In this piece titled Seated Buddha Vairocana, Vairocana is the celestial Buddha who lives at the center of the cosmos. This figure is known to this Buddha due to the position of his hands. Vairocana is thought to be the transcendent form of Buddha Shakyamuni, the difference being that Vairocana exists on another…

General Information: This piece titled Buddha, probably Amitabha, is thought to be a sculpture that represents Amitabha. Amitabha is known as a celestial Buddha who presides over his Western Paradise. Devotion to him became a major part of Chinese Buddhism starting in the 6th century. This statue was created using a dry-lacquering technique, meaning that…

General Information: In this piece titled Stele with the Bodhisattvas Avalokiteshvara (Guanyin) and Mahasthamaprapta (Dashizi), there are five figures shown. On the front side has (from left to right) Mahasthamaprapta and Avalokiteshvara, who can be differentiated from the icon on their headdresses, a vase and a small Buddha, respectively. On the reverse are three Buddhas,…

General Information: This jar is decorated with three celestial beings. There is the blue beast, which represents the star Sirius, who is known as the Heavenly Wolf. There is the archer, Bow, who is the adjoining constellation. Lastly there is the White Tiger, who symbolizes the West. It’s said that the Heavenly Wolf resides over…

General Information: This type of pottery model was commonly used in Eastern Han burials so that the deceased would have such in the afterlife. This is another example of “spirit goods” that are characteristic of Han dynasty tombs. The watchtower is made of terracotta with a green lead glaze.  Eli’s Observations: This piece is very…

General Information: Similar to the female dancer, these figures were made to accompany the dead into the afterlife. The female dancer in this set is performing the “seven dish dance”. Only one dish from the original seven is still intact and this rests on the dancer’s left foot. For the musicians one is playing a…

General Information:  This statue depicts the dance of a woman based on a Han dynasty poem: “Their long sleeves, twirling and twisting, fill the hall; Gauze-stocking feet.…taking mincing steps, Move with slow and easy gait They hover about long and continuous, as if Stopped in mid-air; Dazed, one thinks they are about to fall..” This…