Pieces of Buddha Sixth-Century Fragmented Chinese Statues on Display at Sackler Gallery by Carolyn Chapman In 1996, construction workers leveling a school sports field in the small Chinese town of Qingzhou, in the Shandong province, accidentally unearthed one of the most significant archaeological finds of the 20th century. The workers discovered a collection of more than 400 fragments of sixth-century stone Buddha statues that had apparently been buried there in the 12th century. Archaeologists had to work fast to excavate the pit to keep the statues from being stolen and sold on the international market, divorced from any historical contextóa fate not uncommon for many of Chinaís ancient relics. It took the workers just 10 days to remove all of the statues and transfer them to the safety of the nearby Qingzhou Municipal Museum. Despite being fragmented, the Buddhas, with their vivid color and powerful artistic style, were amazingly well-preserved when they were discovered. Now, after traveling through Berlin, Zurich and London, 35 of these Buddha statues are on display at the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery in ìReturn of the Buddha: The Qingzhou Discoveries.î In addition to their excep tional quality, the Qingzhou Buddhas are unique for another reason. Shandong provinceóon Chinaís northeast coast, roughly between Beijing and Shanghaiówas not previously thought of as a major center of Buddhist stone sculpting. Shandongís role is now being re-examined because of the importance of this discovery. The Qingzhou Buddhas have not only been a significant contribution to the scholarship of Chinese Buddhist art, but they have also renewed popular interest in Buddhist sculpture, even inspiring knockoffs and reproductions in Chinese markets. The Buddhas, clad in elaborate clothes, project an air of tranquility and an unwavering inner peace. Many of their faces still shine of the gold from which they were originally decorated, and many are flanked by their Bodhisattvasóthe Buddhaís assistants in the human world. The Buddhas are timeless and wise, and the fact that their colorsóreds, blues and greensóare still so vivid after being buried underground for centuries only makes one imagine what the statues must have looked like in their glory days. Itís unclear why the hundreds of Buddhas were buried in the 12th century, but they appear to have been broken before they were buried, and the burial seems to have been done in a ceremonial way. Buddha statues have been unearthed in China before, and scholars say these Buddhasí burial was either a respectful way to retire the damaged or outdated statues, or somehow related to a wave of Buddhist persecution. Fortunately for visitors who now get to admire these serene statues, the Buddhas were buried with extreme care, heads arranged in the center of the pit, surrounded by the torsos, which were standing upright. Most of the well-preserved fragments were in the very epicenter, while the most damaged pieces were around the edges. This pit full of buried Buddhas leaves scholars with many unanswered questions but does a great deal toward filling a gap in the history of Chinese Buddhism. ìReturn of the Buddha: The Qingzhou Discoveriesî runs through Aug. 8 at the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, 1050 Independence Ave., SW. For more information, please call (202) 357-2700 or visit www.asia.si.edu. Carolyn Chapman is a contributing writer for The Washington Diplomat. The Writing on the Scroll For a different perspective on Buddhism at the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, "Faith and Form: Selected Calligraphy and Painting From the Japanese Religious Traditions" highlights one of the finest Western collections of Buddhist- and Shinto-inspired calligraphy. As part of the Sacklerís series showcasing the most important American collections of Japanese art, this exhibition features 56 works from the Sylvan Barnet and William Burto Collection. Since the 1960s, Barnet and Burto (professors of English and theater, respectively) have been passionate collectors of Japanese scrolls. When they bought their first scroll, they knew nothing about Japanese calligraphy but were struck by its beauty. Since then, the two collectors have amassed a varied collection of manuscripts that range from the eighth century to the 19th century. The manuscripts on display portray the relationship among calligraphy, painting and the transmission of faith within the Japanese Buddhist and Shinto traditions. With the introduction of Buddhism from China to Japan in the sixth century, the Chinese language and its complex scripts were adopted into handwritten scrolls filled with texts recording the Buddhasí teachingsócalled sutrasóthat became widely copied and distributed to temples. Translations are provided for several of the scrolls, but one does not need to understand the delicately written words to appreciate their lavish colors, individuality and simple beauty. "Faith and Form: Selected Calligraphy and Painting From the Japanese Religious Traditions" runs through July 18 at the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, 1050 Independence Ave., SW. For more information, please call (202) 357-2700 or visit www.asia.si.edu. óCarolyn Chapman