Seminar IV: Alain ARRAULT
26 MARCH 24
IHP-EFEO Talk
Speaker:
Prof. Alain ARRAULT
French School of Asian Studies (EFEO)
Title:
From the “Body of Flesh” to the Body of Statues, from Sanctuary to Home
Date:
Tuesday, April 16, 2024 at 2:30 pm
Venue:
Room 703, Research Building, IHP, Academia Sinica
Abstract:
Considered to be alive, statues of deities in China were partly inherited from mummies, particularly Buddhist mummies. From the earliest known remains, two trends emerged: the mummy became statuesque or the statue inherited a real body. A text by Du Guangting 杜光庭 (850–933) describes viscera inside a statue, and the Shakyamuni statue of the Seiryōji 清凉寺 temple in Kyoto, made in China, reveals organs made of cloth. This tradition would evolve in Japan with metal viscera. These creations from the great sanctuaries seem to find avatars in popular statuary in China, and more specifically in Hunan province.Thanks to computerised cataloguing of several collections, it is now possible to identify the interior of these statues, most of them domestic, which includes materia medica and a written document revealing the name of the statue, the patrons and the sculptor, as well as a precise address, the date of consecration and the wishes expressed. This is a wealth of information that, for the first time, provides access to a popular production that generally suffers from a distinct lack of concrete historical information.
The talk will be chaired by Prof. LIN Sheng-chih, Research Fellow and Deputy Director, Institute of History and Philology, Academia Sinica & Prof. Frank MUYARD, Head, EFEO Taipei Center
The talk will be given in Chinese. Registration is not required.
lecture
Speaker:
Prof. Alain ARRAULT
French School of Asian Studies (EFEO)
Title:
From the “Body of Flesh” to the Body of Statues, from Sanctuary to Home
Date:
Tuesday, April 16, 2024 at 2:30 pm
Venue:
Room 703, Research Building, IHP, Academia Sinica
Abstract:
Considered to be alive, statues of deities in China were partly inherited from mummies, particularly Buddhist mummies. From the earliest known remains, two trends emerged: the mummy became statuesque or the statue inherited a real body. A text by Du Guangting 杜光庭 (850–933) describes viscera inside a statue, and the Shakyamuni statue of the Seiryōji 清凉寺 temple in Kyoto, made in China, reveals organs made of cloth. This tradition would evolve in Japan with metal viscera. These creations from the great sanctuaries seem to find avatars in popular statuary in China, and more specifically in Hunan province.Thanks to computerised cataloguing of several collections, it is now possible to identify the interior of these statues, most of them domestic, which includes materia medica and a written document revealing the name of the statue, the patrons and the sculptor, as well as a precise address, the date of consecration and the wishes expressed. This is a wealth of information that, for the first time, provides access to a popular production that generally suffers from a distinct lack of concrete historical information.
The talk will be chaired by Prof. LIN Sheng-chih, Research Fellow and Deputy Director, Institute of History and Philology, Academia Sinica & Prof. Frank MUYARD, Head, EFEO Taipei Center
The talk will be given in Chinese. Registration is not required.
lecture