Why are Buddhist statues from the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties precious?
Because the number that has been passed down to the present is very small, even the thousand-year-old family in Yangluo cannot collect too many.
Because during the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, it was really chaotic.
Especially in the Southern Dynasties, it went through the Song, Qi, Liang and Chen dynasties, a total of 1670 years.
Buddhism was quite developed during this period. Du Mu famously said, "There are four hundred and eighty temples in the Southern Dynasty, and there are so many towers in the mist."
However, there are very few Buddhist statues left from the Southern Dynasties. The more famous ones are the ones unearthed from Wanfo Temple in Sichuan.
Especially the bronze Buddha statues from the Southern Dynasties, there are only a few genuine ones in the world.
Today, most of the Buddhist statues from the Southern Dynasties that we see are fakes.
Some famous products such as the gold and bronze Buddha statues made by Han Qian in the 14th year of the Song Dynasty and Yuan Dynasty (437), which were collected by Duanfang in the Qing Dynasty, were also imitated in the late Qing Dynasty.
There are many small Buddha statues in a display cabinet in the Capital Museum, most of which are from the Tang Dynasty.
But they were all engraved with the Northern and Southern Dynasties, so you can imagine the chaos in the market.
After taking a few steps forward, I finally saw the Buddhist statues from the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties.
However, these Buddha statues are not simple either. They are from the Tang, Song and Liao dynasties.
And the variety is more abundant, it can be said that there are all kinds of Buddha statues.
Not to mention other things, there are so many varieties in the Tang Dynasty.
The Tang Dynasty, nearly 300 years ago.
There are Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, Arhats, disciples, kings of heaven, powerful men, etc.
The duties of these Buddhas are clearer and more personalized.
It can be said that all the gods described in the Buddhist scriptures are complete, and there are many Taoist statues.
For example, the Tang Dynasty sitting Maitreya statue in front of you is still made of iron.
If Chen Wenzhe remembers correctly, such a Maitreya Buddha should be hidden in Chang'an Museum.
During the early Tang Dynasty and the prosperous Tang Dynasty, due to the Silk Road and other reasons, the country began to fully come into contact with the culture of the Western Regions and was deeply influenced by foreign art ideas.
Reflected on the Buddha statue, the clothing patterns began to be as realistic as possible.
I particularly like to express the three-dimensional sense of clothing patterns, and the layers of clothing patterns show texture.
In the Tang Dynasty, due to the strong national power, fatness was regarded as beauty, which was reflected in the "three" lines on the neck of the Buddha statues.
For example, the Tang Dynasty dry lacquer Buddha head in front of you is a very good imitation.
Anyway, when you look at it, you will feel the beauty of the prosperous Tang Dynasty. It is absolutely impossible to misunderstand it.
That's right, it would be easy for a master who could imitate such an exquisite set of Zhaoling Six Horses to imitate some Tang Dynasty Buddha statues.
Besides, he must have been studying Song Dynasty technology for a long time, or simply several generations, or even more than a dozen generations, have been doing this.
In this way, it is not surprising that Song Fang's craftsmanship can be thoroughly studied.
But what’s going on with the Buddha statue at the back? It feels a bit decadent!
The Buddha statues in the back are getting worse and worse starting from the first one.
"This is a Buddhist statue from the mid-late Tang Dynasty? The imitation is really professional!"
After the middle and late Tang Dynasty, the workmanship of Buddhist statues began to decline, so the quality of the works in the middle and late Tang Dynasty also declined!
Not to mention that today’s masters of antique craftsmanship are very professional!
The Buddha statue in front of me no longer had the majestic and confident appearance it had in its heyday.
And this decadence is gradually disappearing.
As reflected in the series of Buddha statues here, the shapes of the Buddha statues have begun to become more formal, with simple clothing patterns and less complicated transitions.
The corners of the coat hanging down from the pedestal of the sitting Buddha are retracted and only rest on the edge of the pedestal.
Buddha statues are getting thinner and thinner, and the three-dimensional fullness of the heyday of the Tang Dynasty has disappeared.
The most important thing is that most of the Buddha statues here are made of wood and stone. It is hard to see that kind of bronze statue.
Since there are very few bronze statues, the gilded Golden Buddha is even more difficult to see.
arrive.
However, what Chen Wenzhe sees now is not only gilded Buddha statues, but also pure copper Buddha statues, large and small, very complete.
It's a pity that these are obviously not genuine products, because it is impossible to have so many genuine products on the market now.
In the past, small bronze Buddha statues from the Tang Dynasty, a few centimeters to more than ten centimeters high, were often seen in antique shops. Nowadays, most of them are new works.
This type of statue began to be counterfeited during the Republic of China, and the counterfeit products differed from the genuine ones in terms of lines, natural wear and tear of copper and gold.
However, such discrepancies are so subtle that there is almost no noticeable problem.
For example, the gilt-bronze Heavenly King statue imitating the Tang Dynasty in front of you is really a good imitation.
Except for his hair, this statue of a heavenly king is entirely gilded. His eyes are wide open with anger, his mouth is open and his teeth are exposed, making him look majestic and angry.
The King of Heaven wears armor with vivid and smooth carving patterns, and an animal head decoration on his abdomen. He raises his left arm and puts his right hand on his waist, showing his might and power.
If you don't have some appreciation ability, it will be difficult to distinguish the authenticity of such Buddha statues.
And there is not even one bronze statue of this level here.
However, as long as such a bronze statue is not a fabricated product, it must have a provenance.
You must know that many antique masters do not have high academic qualifications.
You can ask them to imitate, but you can't ask them to create.
Creation must have a certain cultural foundation and sufficient self-confidence.
Only a master must be able to create cultural relics that fit the historical period based on the social and cultural environment of each period in history.
If not, then they will inevitably copy it.
Therefore, these statues of heavenly kings must have provenance.
Chen Wenzhe looked at the statues with different shapes, and each one was very exquisite.
For such statues, not to mention some imitators with low cultural level, even the knowledgeable Chen Wenzhe could not create so many exquisite shapes by himself.
So, these were unearthed from the Jingzhi Temple Pagoda Base Palace in Ding City?
When he saw a gilt bronze statue imitating the Tang Dynasty, Chen Wenzhe was convinced.
If these Buddha statues are genuine, then every one of them is a treasure and rare to see.
For example, the gilt-bronze statue of Hercules in front of you is only 14.6 centimeters tall, but it is truly extraordinary.
Hercules is the Buddhist protector god and looks very mighty.
Coupled with the gilt copper, it looks even more shocking.
He wears a Ming jewelry crown, a Baozhen curly shawl, and protruding neck tendons.
The upper body and legs are naked, the muscles of the whole body are fully displayed, and the waist is tied with a skirt.
The left arm is raised, and the right arm holds the mace under the armpit.
Standing barefoot. The overall image is vividly depicted and the proportions are accurate. This is the appearance of fine gold and bronze statues from the Tang Dynasty.
At this time, Chen Wenzhe couldn't help but glance at Li Jinli.
Even if these are all imitations, they are definitely fine imitations.
Such imitations are exquisite works of art wherever they are placed.
Even if it is not an antique, even if it is said to be a modern work of art, it still has high artistic value.
Beautiful things that can perfectly create a work of charm are naturally masterpieces of art. This is undisputed.
Therefore, even if these are all imitations, they are still high-value exquisite works of art.