Longmen Grottoes: Difference between revisions

Guyangdong, or Guyang Cave, or Old Sun Cave, is recorded as the oldest Longmen cave with carvings in the [[Northern Wei]] style. It is also the largest cave, located in the central part of the west hill. It was carved under the orders of [[Emperor Xiaowen of Northern Wei|Emperor Xiaowen]]. The earliest carving in this limestone cave has been now dated at 478 AD, during the period when Emperor Xiaowen is thought to have been moving his capital from Datong to Luoyang. The Buddhist statues in the niches of this cave are very well sculpted. Also found here are 600 inscriptions in fine calligraphy of writings in the Northern Wei style.<ref name=Sacred /> Many of the sculptures inside the cave were contributed by royalty; religious groups supported this activity. The cave has three very large images – the central image is of [[Sakyamuni Buddha]] with [[Bodhisattva]]s on either side. The features of the images are indicative of the Northern Wei style, typically of slim and emaciated figures. There are about 800 inscriptions on the walls and in the niches inside the cave, the most in any cave in China.<ref name=Evaluate /> There are two rows of niches on the northern and southern walls of the cave, which house a very large number of images; the artists have recorded their names, the dates, and the reasons for carving them.

Binyangzhongdong ({{zh|c=宾阳中洞}}) or the [[Middle Binyang Cave]], is carved in the DatangDatong style on the west hill, on the northern floor. It was built by [[Emperor Xuanwu of Northern Wei|Emperor Xuanwu]] of [[Northern Wei]] to commemorate his father Xiaowen, and also his mother. It is said that 800,000 workers created it over the period from 500 to 523. In the main wall of this cave, five very large Buddhist statues are carved all in Northern Wei style. The central statue is of Sakyamuni Buddha with four images of Bodhisattvas flanking it. Two side walls also have Buddha images flanked by Bodhisattva. The Buddhas, arranged in three groups in the cave, are representative of Buddhas of the past, the present, and the future. The canopy in the roof is designed as a [[Nelumbo nucifera|lotus flower]]. There were two large [[Relief#Bas-relief or low relief|bas-reliefs]] of imperial processions, that included Emperor Xiaowen, Empress Dowager Wenzhao, and the emperor's late parents in worship. The reliefs were stolen completely in the mid-1930s. The emperor's procession is now in the [[Metropolitan Museum of Art]] in New York and two thirds of the empress's is in the [[Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art]] in Kansas City. While a few statues are sculpted with "long features, thin faces, fishtail robes and traces of Greek influence", others are in Tang period natural style and heavily built.<ref name=Evaluate /><ref name=Sacred />