Buddha

Limestone/ Excavated from the Fengxiansi Temple Site, Tang dynasty/
H. 21.8 cm/ Longmen Caves Research Institute
This figure's body is missing from the chest down. The wavy hair is arranged with one swirl of hair formed on the front of the usnisa, and two swirls of hair on the front of the head. The hair lines are carved in detail. The face has swelling cheeks and downcast eyes and eyebrows are slightly raised at the outer edges. The well-formed nose is combined with a firmly shut mouth, all giving a sense of refinement and dignity. The neck is carved with the three ring Buddha attribute and is surrounded by the planar carved incised depiction of a large robe which drapes from the right shoulder to the left shoulder. This image was probably created around the end of the Dowager Empress Wu period at the beginning of the 8th century.