Northern Wei sculpture

Northern Wei sculpture

Chinese sculpture, dominated by simple images of the Buddha, dating from the era of the Northern Wei dynasty (AD 386–534/535). The art represents the first major influence of Buddhism on China, and may be divided into two major periods. The first style (c. 452–494), an amalgam of foreign influences traceable to the Buddhist art of India, is characterized by heavy stylization of blocky volumes. The second style (c. 494–535) clothes the Buddha in the costume of the Chinese scholar and emphasizes a sinuous cascade of drapery falling over an increasingly flattened figure.