Artist: Unknown
Title: Fenxian Tung (Cave 19),Vairochana Buddha's Attendant, the Benevolent king Vajravira (?)
Material: hard limestone
Site: Longmen, Henan
Current Location:
Period/Date: Dedicated in 675 C.E., Tang dynasty
Iconography/Iconology:
Stylistic Comments: A careful examination of the crown on this figure shows a distant connection to the Central Asian and thereby Sassanian royal crowns. Such a connection suggests a possible developmental sequence for the figure type. The origins are in western Asia with a subsequent slow transmission through Central Asia. While this cannot be proven conclusively, it is relatively certain that strong influences came into the Central Asian regions from the Iranian plateau area and that some influences ultimately made their way into China.
