Stone dread animal image

[Stone fearing animal image]

Stone fearing animal image, North Qi, 77 cm high, 81 cm wide
This kind of animal fearing image with animal face and human body, shoulders with wings, three claws and two toes, and upper body exposed was common in the Wei, Jin and Southern and Northern Dynasties, especially in the Northern Dynasties, which often appeared in epitaphs, tomb murals, sarcophagus beds and grottoes. The Beixiangtang Grottoes, funded by the royal family of the Northern Qi Dynasty, are located in Handan, Hebei Province, representing the highest level of carving art at that time. The ninth largest cave is the central pillar cave. There are 16 tower-shaped niches on the four walls of the cave. The niches are used for Buddha statues. A total of 22 animals are carved under each niche column. This animal fear should be one of them. It is presumed to be the third body from the left of the north wall. Most of the fearsome animals in this cave have been cut off and scattered throughout the United States, Switzerland and Canada. In the Biography of the Eminent Monk, it was recorded that “the sculptures in this cave are frightening and moving”, from which we can also see the image of the monster.