Posted By: For Mr Lee Fri, Nov 25, 2005
Mr Lee firstly my apologies regarding my earlier posts of the Buddha Nirvan statue and telling yourself that the influence to the statue was from Dunhuang.
I was totally incorrect and hence the pastiche etc.
The Buddha Nirvan's influence is from the area abandoned from the 16th century Yulin caves and the copper alloy is Western Xia????
However I do have a case based on the following for earlier:
Dependant upon at which point the plinthed, domed and knopped monumental structures appear on the plains near the Yulin caves.
760 – 779 General Guo Ziyi petitioned to relocated the Danxiang – qiang to Yinzhou (Yulin of Shenxi Province).
The significance of this is that the Danxiang are a Tibetan tribe who eventually become the Western Xia. The presence of the tribe is present at Yulin from the earlier date. If the momumental structures were began prior to the start of the chronicled period of the Western Xia proper then the Buddha Nirvan could date to the earlier period.
I write the above on the grounds that after the destruction and wiping out of Buddhism within Tibet C 848 until the reintroduction at the 1073 convention. The momuments at Yulin had been built by the Tibets of the Western Xia who were wiped out by Genghis Khan and a thorough job he did too.
The statue is more Indian Buddhism influenced which would also point to the an earlier period when King Detsen expelled the Chinese monks and Chan Buddhist sect and ordered the adoption of Indian Buddhism.
A form of Buddhism that was totally wiped in the collapsing and fedual Tibet.
The tradition of Buddhism is carried on in the what will become the Western Xia, the tribe who had been at Yulin since 770.
They were Tanguts with their own script, adopted Confucianism, Tang Court Music, were Buddhist.
Provisionally until such time as i can establish at which date the plain mouments were built and bearing in mind my estimation of a rating of 1 to 5 the stage in development of a period the Nuirva Buddha is in, that being 2.
My estimation for a date range is C800 to C1050 AD.
The C800 coming this way as the date of the momuments are discovered.
A scene on the rear of the copper alloy plinth is the scene of Sujata before the Bohdi tree with the offering vessel of rice and milk, this scene depicts a vase also heavily influenced by the monumental plain structure (they can be seen for 10 KM). with the added benefit for me of a Tang/Song imperial incised celadon ware of the type with a large rim in proption to the remaining body and flared.
The front of the plinth contains four figures in supplication. One of these wears a crown at the front of the head in the form of a diadem type with the hair coming then to the rear. The remaining figures have a very distinctive hairstyle.
The manner in which the faces are rendered can be found on the interior walls of caves 2, 3 and 25 at Yulin. The squashed face effect when in profile.
A pastiche of styles, I have been able to determine the following
Indo(Gupta,Kashmir,Bihar) Northern Wei, Cave 25, Cave 3, Cave 2, (little details of each). The monumental plain structures, Yulin
Note no Tibetan as there is no Tibetan Buddhist influence in the piece and hence why it is such a strange statue. Yulin Cave monumental plain period of C800 to C1050 AD.
Points. I belive that the statue will give an idea of how and in which direction Tibetan Buddhism had first developed in Tibet itself, before the period of the total destruction of Buddhism after C848 to its reintro 978 BC.
Its not until 1073 when Knochock Gyalpo founds the Sakya Monastery and 1076 the year of the fire dragon a convention accepts Buddhism as main religion of Tibet once again.
The traditions introduced back into Tibet initially the Indian Sakaymuni Buddha. Tibetan Buddhism then develops as can be seen to this day. The Bon religion with Taoism and Buddism becomes the Black hat and swaztika sect. The White earth Sakayamuni sect etc.
The difference being the more purer form of Indian Buddhism has not been influenced by Taoism and it this form of Buddhism the Western Xia adopted and the form of Buddhism which had been adopted initially to the banning of the Chinese Chan sect and the relocated tribe to Yulin. The Western Xia's art starts to take on the surrounding influence.
Caves 2 3 and 25 at Yulin are very much classed as Tibet art. Yet the stupa in Tibet is Indian based, the stupors at Yulin totally different.
The dissemination of Buddhism back into Tibet was via a different Indian culture that was ordered by King Detsen, the development of Yulin shows this. King Detsen was evidently influenced by Bihar and Kashmir. It was not the Western Xia who transmitted Buddhism back to Tibet from Yulin. From the point of the end of the Tang the whole area is on a downward.
The style stops here. As it does with the Buddha Nirvan.
A very rare piece, but a piece which has enabled me to have a little insight to the period and recognise the style or elements there of in the future.
The dating of the copper alloy has been quite a joy as I have learnt a great deal of the period.
The difference in dating this and the jade is that everything came back to the jade, the jade being the influence and the jade dated itsef.
In the Buddha Nirvan case its also dated itself.
The route for this Branch of Buddhism which developed at Yulin was although repreived, doomed.
This peoples of the area known as the rebellious frontier was exterminated by Chingitz Khan to name but one passer through. Looting etc. In one city 700,000 put to the sword.
A way of life, developed in a backwater, forced there in the first place, ruled for a while and then total extermination. Even the script was unknown for 100 of years nevermind the few bits of the art that survives.
So as not to confuse I am going call the period from 770 to 1237 at Yulin Tangut Period.
Nick
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