SONG-YUAN DYNASTY (960-1368)

The carving style of the current sculpture is influenced by Song Dynasty cave carvings, notably those from the Shihong Temple in Fuxian, Shaanxi. A carving of Guanyin found in Shihong temple is particularly worthy of note and stylistically quite close to the current figure, illustrated in Shaanxi Gudai Shidiaoke, vol. I, Shaanxi, 1985, pl. 102. However, the headdress of the current figure seems to be more archaic in origin, and was probably inspired by those of the Sui Dynasty figures, such as the figure from the Nelson-Aitkins Museum, illustrated by Matsubara in Chugoku Bukkyo Chokoku shiron, Illustrations Vol. II, Tokyo, 1995, p. 576. This type of headdress design seems to have undergone a revival during the Song Dynasty, especially in Southwest China. See, for example, the stone carvings from the Dazushan caves, such as the figure of Samantabhadra illustrated in Zhongguo Gudai Diaosu, London, 2003, pl. 3-139.