佛像筆記 vol.04 舊金山亞洲藝術博物館：龍門石窟唐代佛首 - Asian Art Museum, Longmen Grottoes Stone Buddha Head, Tang Dynasty

SACA
Jul 11
2 min read

Weathered stone Buddha head sculpture with closed eyes on a plain gray background, serene and ancient-looking

此大型佛頭原為龍門石窟擂鼓台區主窟中心彌勒佛尊像的主要部分，頭像殘高達到了66cm，它是唐代宮廷支持下佛教雕塑的卓越範例。儘管體量龐大，卻雕刻細膩入微，特別在髮髻、眼眸、豐潤的面頰等細節上展現出極高的藝術水準，體現了盛唐造像的精湛技藝與審美追求。龍門石窟因武則天皇后的青睞而得到大力營造，她常駐東都洛陽，使龍門成為唐代最重要的佛教聖地之一。

這批龍門大型佛首多為民國時期盜掘後銷售往海外，擂鼓台的佛造像風格十分明確。擂鼓台是什麼地方？參見：《唐代筆記 vol.4 龍門擂鼓台新發現佛首與舊金山亞博館藏對比 - Leigutai Tang Dynasty New Excavation in comparison with Asian Art Museum collection》

This large head once formed part of the principal Maitreya figure in the main cave of the Leigutai complex at Longmen. It represents a remarkable example of Buddhist sculpture produced under Tang court patronage. Despite its monumental scale, the head is sensitively modeled and finely finished, with meticulous attention to details such as the hair, eyes, and full cheeks.The Buddhist caves at Longmen were particularly favored by Empress Wu Zetian, as she often stayed in the nearby eastern capital of Luoyang, allowing the site to flourish as a major center of Tang Buddhist art.