SculptureChinese6th century

Flying Apsaras Holding a Bowl

534-550

Description

Flying divinity with trailing scarves holding a bowl in his right hand, flying toward left and looking back over his right shoulder. Low sandstone relief from the ceiling of cave 3 (north panel) at Tianlongshan, Shanxi province.

Classification

Sculpture

Medium

Sandstone; from Tianlongshan Cave 3, near Taiyuan, Shanxi province

Culture

Chinese

Period

Eastern Wei, 534-550

Century

6th century

Division

Asian and Mediterranean Art

Department

Department of Asian Art

Dimensions

H. 76.3 x W. 69.2 cm (30 1/16 x 27 1/4 in.)

Provenance

Grenville L. Winthrop, New York (by 1943), bequest; to Fogg Art Museum, 1943.

Related Artworks

Sculpture

Recumbent Sheep with Curving, Twisted Horns

Unknown Artist, first third 6th century

Molded, gray earthenware with traces of cold-painted pigments

6th centuryChinese

Sculpture

Three Standing Buddhist Devotees, Each Holding a Lotus Bud

Unknown Artist, 534-550

Sandstone with faint traces of pigment; from Tianlongshan Cave 3, near Taiyuan, Shanxi province

6th centuryChinese

Sculpture

Tomb Figurine in the Form of a Kneeling Woman, probably a Musician, with Elaborate Coiffure, High-Waisted Gown, and Hands Raised in a Gesture

Unknown Artist, late 6th-early 7th century

Lead-glazed ware: molded white earthenware with straw-yellow, lead-fluxed glaze and with traces of cold-painted pigments over the glaze

6th-7th centuryChinese

Sculpture

Kneeling Asparas (Feitian) with Hands Clasped in Adoration (Anjali Mudra)

Unknown Artist, 386-534

Brick-red clay with pigment. Reportedly retrieved from Mogao Cave 110, Dunhuang, Gansu province

4th-6th centuryChinese

Sculpture

Standing Bodhisattva with Hands in Anjali Mudra

Unknown Artist, 534-550

Sandstone with traces of pigment; from Tianlongshan Cave 3, near Taiyuan, Shanxi province

6th centuryChinese

Sculpture

Elderly Disciple Holding a Censer (probably Kasyapa)

Unknown Artist, 534-550

Sandstone; from Tianlongshan Cave 2, near Taiyuan, Shanxi province

6th centuryChinese

Sculpture

Head of a Bodhisattva (from a Buddhist Trinity)

Unknown Artist, early 6th century

Medium gray limestone with traces of polychromy and gilding; Longmen style

6th centuryChinese

Sculpture

Bodhisattva Seated with Legs Crossed

Unknown Artist, late 5th-early 6th Century

Buff sandstone. From Yungang, Shanxi province.

5th-6th centuryChinese

Sculpture

Flying Apsaras (Feitian)

Unknown Artist, 534-550

Stone with traces of polychromy; purportedly from the Tianlongshan Caves, near Taiyuan, Shanxi province

6th centuryChinese

Sculpture

Two Standing, Mustachioed Male Figures, Each Wearing a Cape and a Full, Rounded Hat with Protective Neck and Ear Flap, and Each with His Hands Clasped at the Waist and Concealed under His Cape

Unknown Artist, 550 - 577

Molded, gray earthenware with cold-painted pigments

6th centuryChinese

Sculpture

Guardian Creature with Feline Face, from the tomb sculpture set: Pair of Guardian Creatures with Spiked Spines, One with a Human Face, One with a Feline Face

Unknown Artist, first third 6th century

Molded, medium gray earthenware with traces of cold-painted pigments

6th centuryChinese

Sculpture

Striding Warrior with Mouth Closed, from the tomb sculpture set: Two Striding, Armor-Clad, Bearded Warriors Wearing Helmets with Protective Neck and Ear Flaps, One with Mouth Open, One with Mouth Closed, Their Hands Positioned to Hold Weapons

Unknown Artist, first third 6th century

Molded, gray earthenware with traces of cold-painted pigments

6th centuryChinese