Torso of a Bodhisattva

This sculpture from Tianlongshan (Heavenly Dragon Mountain) exemplifies the aesthetic ideal of the Tang dynasty (A.D. 618–907). With its fleshy modeling and voluptuousness, it reveals a naturalism that may be influenced by the artistic styles of contemporaneous India. The drapery is integrated with the structure of the figure in a naturalistic way, and though fragmentary, the piece displays the graceful linear geometry characteristic of the Tang visual vocabulary. Carved in high relief in a finely grained white stone, the figure wears a royal costume whose folds of drapery emphasize the torso and define the body's rounded form. The pectoral ornament and long scarf are typical Tang elements in Buddhist sculpture, accentuated by traces of red-brown color.