Liu’s Stone Making Thought Image

[Liu’s Stone Making Thought Image]

Liu’s Stone Making Thought Image, Northern Qi Dynasty, residual height 44.5 cm, width 34.3 cm
The Thoughtful Bodhisattva wears a flower vine crown on his head, has a fine eyebrow, a plump face, a right hand to support him, a right leg to lift up, and a left leg to droop and sit with half open arms. The left and right sides are carved with two dragon trees and two flanks, both of which are incomplete. Images are engraved on the four sides of the base at the bottom of the statue: the bottom of the front is two lions with opposite heads, curly hair, protruding eyes, and feet extending forward. In the middle layer, there are six donors on the outside, some holding incense sticks and some picking incense from incense sticks. The size and posture of the donors are different. In the middle of the upper layer is the Boshan stove, with lotus stems outside. The two boys sit on the lotus, holding a peach in their hands. The outermost is Erfeitian and Erluxi. At the bottom of the left side are four god kings. The god king sits cross-legged with his right leg supported by his left leg. His face looks like a shaman, his hair is combed in a bun, his upper body is naked, his lower body is dressed in a skirt, and his arms are wrapped in silk. From left to right, the god king of sheep, the god of bird, and the god of fire are in order. The object held by the other god king is unknown, so its identity cannot be determined. At the middle level, there are performers, some play the flute, some play the drum with both hands, some play the waist drum with both hands, and some play the flute. The costumes are the same as those of the god king. On the upper floor, there are four donors, one kneeling beside a Buddhist niche, and two outside donors holding fragrant flowers, wearing secular clothes and carving the name of the donor. At the bottom on the right are four god kings, from left to right are river god king, wind god king, mountain god king and tree god king. The middle layer is composed of music, which is divided into flute, pipe, sheng and pipa. The four donors on the upper floor are the same as those on the left side, but the shrine is moved to one side, and the names of the donors are also engraved. On the back of the base, a donor held fragrant flowers, engraved with the words “Liu Yuan’s wife, Zhang Ying”, “the first day of the 30th lunar month” and so on. This image is rich in content and orderly in composition, which is rare for single statues. This image was unearthed in Quyang, Hebei Province from 1953 to 1954.

刘氏造石思惟像背面刘氏造石思惟像右侧面刘氏造石思惟像左侧面