Restoration Journal Week One

During my first week, I stayed at Nengren Temple in Zhejiang Province, where I began studying Buddhist statue restoration and iconography. My master first gave me a detailed introduction to the history of Buddhist sculpture, polychrome decoration, and carving. Next week, we will begin more concrete work on restoration methods and historical verification.

Our discussion of Buddhist sculptural history began with Gandhara. We traced the origins of Buddhist images and examined how representations of the Buddha developed across different historical periods. Gandharan sculptures were often made from materials such as bluestone, schist, and mica-rich stone. Red sandstone and limestone were also commonly used. These materials often created a more restrained and natural appearance, yet they could powerfully convey the Buddha’s expression and spiritual presence.

note：a picture of the referernce paintaing that I am using for restoration

We also discussed the image of Shakyamuni in India, Gandharan Buddhist sculpture, and contemporary examples such as the white-marble Buddhist sculptures made by Jiang Sheng. In China, Buddhist statues were often painted, unlike many early stone sculptures in India. During the Northern and Southern Dynasties and the Dunhuang period, Buddhist polychrome sculpture became visually closer to mural painting. However, it still differed from traditional Chinese painting and gongbi painting in both technique and visual language.

Color has particular importance in Buddhist art, especially in esoteric Buddhism. Different deities and Buddhist divisions may be associated with different colors. Amitabha Buddha, as the principal deity of the Lotus Division, may be represented by red, although this still needs to be carefully verified through textual and visual sources. In Mahayana Buddhism, red may also symbolize completeness or fulfillment. Gold is another important color in Buddhist imagery. It appears in gilding, gold leaf, and gilt-bronze sculpture, especially during the Tang and Song dynasties. Some Buddhist scriptures describe the Buddha as having a golden body. Gold may symbolize purity, incorruptibility, and the ideal of a practitioner whose inner mind is as pure and steadfast as gold. These meanings, however, must be checked against specific scriptures and historical contexts, since different texts and traditions describe the Buddha differently.

The Buddha is also understood to have different manifestations according to the needs of sentient beings. Because of this, some Buddhist sculptures portray the Buddha with flesh-colored skin, allowing devotees to see the Buddha as closer to human experience and to follow his path more directly. Avalokiteshvara, or Guanyin, similarly takes different forms in order to save beings according to their needs.

We also discussed wrathful images in esoteric Buddhism. These figures are not simply expressions of anger; they symbolize the transformation and subjugation of afflictions. For example, the wrathful Maitreya image at Xuedou Temple is said to be connected with the incarnation of the monk Qici from the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. The study of Buddhist statue color requires more than simply selecting visually appealing pigments. It must combine archaeological evidence, historical documents, surviving traces of original paint, the historical development of color, symbolic meaning, and aesthetic analysis. The excavation of Gandharan Buddhist sculptures is especially important because some discoveries preserve evidence of their original painted details and allow us to reconsider how these statues may have originally appeared. We also discussed the importance of regional culture. The Dazu Rock Carvings of the Song dynasty, for example, should be studied in relation to the local culture of Bashu and Sichuan. The reclining Buddha at Dazu also seems to contain certain visual echoes of Dunhuang. My master suggested that I study Song-dynasty wooden Buddhist sculptures, especially Water-Moon Guanyin figures, as well as Gandharan examples. The White Elephant Pagoda in Wenzhou, where relevant objects have been excavated, may also offer useful material for research. Another central topic was the identification of Buddhist figures. Buddhist statues are created according to descriptions found in scriptures, and their mudras, or hand gestures, are especially important for identifying them. Amitabha Buddha is commonly associated with the welcoming mudra, which symbolizes receiving beings into the Pure Land. There are also distinctions related to the “three grades and nine classes” of rebirth, such as upper, middle, and lower grades. Esoteric Buddhist influence is also significant in many iconographic traditions.

After discussion, we also concluded that the right-hand gesture of my own Buddha statue should be revised. It should most likely be the abhaya mudra, or gesture of fearlessness. In the late Qing and Republican periods, some Amitabha images began to appear holding lotus flowers----a perfect explanation to the meaning of the buddha's gesture.(so this may not be appropriate for the historical form I am restoring.))

Over the next few days, I will carefully research the colors needed for the polychrome restoration of my statue. It may be similar to an Amitabha Buddha held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, but this still requires further verification.

I also spoke with my master about my Buddhist statue restoration software and the AR presentation of restored statues. He expressed support for our work, which made me very happy. He also emphasized that the identification and authentication of Buddhist statues depends heavily on hand gestures. This is an important insight that I will incorporate into future discussions of the software’s development. Well, what a week!