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Yinchuan: Skanda
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Yinchuan: Skanda
CHINA, Ningxia, Yinchuan; Yuan to Ming dynasty (1271–1644); Gilt copper alloy; H: 58 cm; Ningxia Museum, Yinchuan, China
The statue was a 1986 find from the Yinchuan site, and depicts the Dharma protector Skanda in the guise of a warrior. The figure glances watchfully to one side and wears a plumed helmet and a full set of scale armor, with beast-headed shoulders and stomach protectors. The hands are in the anjali (reverence) mudra, while the raised arms support a short-bladed sword with a large pommel. As in other pieces discovered at this site, much is made of undulating features that give a sense of energy and movement. This appears most obviously in the stole that flies up behind the figure and then falls down the length of the body to rebound at the war boots. This is supplemented by a flapping band below the stomach protector. |
