ID: 700008983 Page link: http://vocab.getty.edu/page/cona/700008983	Record Type: Movable Work
Images: 1

Śākyamuni preaching on the Vulture Peak, embroidery (embroidery (visual works); unknown Tang; ca. 8th century; British Museum (London, Greater London, England, United King...; MAS,0.1129 (Ch.00260))

Note: From Mogao Grottoes Cave 17, Dunhuang, Gansu Province. Large embroidered panel made of silk backed with hemp cloth. The embroidery is a magnificent work executed in split stitch with the embroidery worked through the plain weave and the backing of hemp. Most of the stitches are long, around 0.8-1 cm, and split stitches of this sort are similar to satin stitches, perhaps representing a transitional stage between split stitch and satin stitch. The original interpretation of the iconography is Sakyamuni preaching on the Vulture Peak; Buddha Sakyamuni preaching at a favored site, Vulture Peak, attended by two bodhisattvas and two monks. At the top are two apsaras flanking a jewelled canopy. At the bottom are two small lions, two groups of male and female donors, each flanked by a cartouche (only two of which are inscribed), and a central inscription panel [British Museum]. A newer interpretation of the embroidery’s subject has been identified as Liangzhou Buddha;the Buddha’s pose, with right arm extended straight down to his knee and robe gathered up in his left hand, makes him more likely to be the Miraculous Image of Liangzhou (also known as the Fanhe or Panhe Buddha), the iconography of which was conventionalized at Dunhuang by the 7th century. Named after its place of discovery near the important Silk Road city of Liangzhou (present-day Wuwei, Gansu Province), this ruixiang, literally, “auspicious image,” was said to have emerged, in the 6th century, from the living rock of a mountain. As a reflection of social and political turmoil, the statue emerged with no head and resisted attempts to replace it until conditions were once again favorable. Once the head was reinstalled, a temple was built around the statue. It continued to function as a silent political commentator as each new head fell off during times of turbulence [Agnew, Reed, Ball].

Titles:

Śākyamuni preaching on the Vulture Peak, embroidery (preferred,C,U,RP,English-P,U,U)

Miraculous Image of Liangzhou (Fanhe Buddha) (C,U,DE,English,U,U)

番禾瑞像 (C,U,Chinese-P,U,U)

Catalog Level: item

Work Types:

embroidery (visual works) [300264024] (preferred)

..... (Objects Facet, Visual and Verbal Communication (hierarchy name), Visual Works (hierarchy name), visual works (works), <visual works by material or technique>, needlework (visual works))

Classifications:

Asian art (preferred)

textiles

Creation Date: ca. 8th century

Creator Display:

unknown Tang [preferred]

unknown Tang (Tang cultural designation) [500204343]

Locations:

Current: British Museum (London, Greater London, England, United Kingdom) [500125180] Corporate Bodies (Corp. Body)

Repository Numbers: MAS,0.1129 (Ch.00260)

Credit Line: Collected by: Sir Marc Aurel Stein biography; Acquisition date 1917

Other: Discovery: Qianfodong [7029798] Gansu province (province), China (nation), Asia (continent), World (facet) (Geographic)

Display Materials: Silk thread on silk with hemp backing; embroidered

	silk (silkworm material) [300014072]
	.......(Materials Facet, Materials (hierarchy name), materials (substances), <materials by origin>, biological material, animal material, fibroinous material)

	hemp (fiber) [300014043]
	.......(Materials Facet, Materials (hierarchy name), materials (substances), <materials by form>, <materials by physical form>, <fiber and fiber by product>, fiber, natural fiber, plant fiber)

	embroidering [300053653]
	.......(Activities Facet, Processes and Techniques (hierarchy name), <processes and techniques by specific type>, <processes and techniques by material>, textile processes and techniques, <textile working processes and techniques>, <needleworking and needleworking techniques>, needleworking (process))

Dimensions: 241 × 159 cm (94 7⁄8 × 62 5⁄8 in.); mount: 250 x 167.5 x 2.8 cm

Cultures:

Chinese (preferred)

Style/Period/Group/Movement:

	Tang (Chinese culture, style, period) [300018420] (preferred,dynasty)
	.....(Styles and Periods Facet, Styles and Periods (hierarchy name), <styles| periods| and cultures by region>, Asian, East Asian, Chinese (culture or style), Chinese dynastic styles and periods)

General Subject:

religion and mythology (preferred)

Specific Subjects:

	Buddha [901000851]
	.....((Buddhist characters, Buddhist iconography, Legend, Religion, Mythology)) (ICON)

	Śakyamuni Buddha (Asian philosopher, founder of Buddhism, ca. 560-ca. 480 BCE) [500372531]
	.....(Non-Artists) (ULAN)

	Vulture Peak [8697570]
	.....(Bihār state (state), India (nation), Asia (continent), World (facet)) (TGN)

	Miraculous Image of Liangzhou [901001359]
	.....((Buddhist narratives, Buddhist iconography, Legend, Religion, Mythology)) (ICON)

	preaching [300379717]
	.....(Activities Facet, Functions (hierarchy name), functions (activities), <functions by specific context>, religious functions) (AAT)

Provenance: This embroidered panel was collected by Stein during his second expedition (1906-1908), and it is assumed it was donated in 1917 with the rest of the material from this expedition.

Inscriptions: Inscription in Chinese in two cartouches; contain dedicatory inscriptions, no longer legible.

Related Works:

	former location was .... Mogao Cave 17 [700008877]
	..........rock-cut temple; N/A; begun 9th century

List/Hierarchical Position:

..... Movable Works

.......... Movable Works by class: drawings, paintings, prints, other two-dimensional media

............... Works at Mogao

Sources and Contributors:
Śākyamuni preaching on the Vulture Peak, embroidery	........ [VP]
	........ British Museum [online] (1999-)
Miraculous Image of Liangzhou (Fanhe Buddha)	........ [VP]
	........ Agnew, Reed, Ball, Cave Temples of Dunhuang (2016)
番禾瑞像	........ [VP]
	........ Agnew, Reed, Ball, Cave Temples of Dunhuang (2016)

Subject: ....... [VP]

....................... Agnew, Reed, Ball, Cave Temples of Dunhuang (2016) Cat 10

Note:
English	..... [VP]
	..... Agnew, Reed, Ball, Cave Temples of Dunhuang (2016) Cat 10
	..... British Museum [online] (1999-)