开百卷以刊谬 发七问以正源——对易县三彩罗汉的再认识

To Correct an Error by Reading a hundred Volumes and to Correct the Source by Asking Seven Questions--A New Understanding of the Tricolored Arhat Statues of Yi County

易县罗汉就艺术成就而言,堪为中国雕塑艺术之冠,近代流失海外,国内对其认识不全面且多谬误。这组罗汉像原来可能为十六尊,存世八尊,现藏于欧洲、美国、日本等地的博物馆。这批罗汉造像来自易县八罗汉山,为辽代作品,未知创作者,体现了辽塑极为鲜明的写实主义风格和注重心理刻画的特征。易县罗汉像是佛教造像中较为罕见的陶质,使用了辽三彩的工艺。有学者指出,易县罗汉创制于辽圣宗时期,并出自辽代官窑龙泉务窑。在蒙古大军消灭金王朝时,这批珍贵的罗汉像被珍藏于洞窟以待安全时再摆回原位供奉。可惜罗汉像未能再回到原寺庙,从此失去了保护者,在民国时期被盗卖,经过各种途径先后流出国门。因艺术、宗教、人性等原因,易县罗汉像在全世界引起了极高的关注,对于我们今天重新建构中国雕塑史也不可忽视。

In terms of artistic achievements,the tricolored arhat Statues of Yi County may be counted among the finest examples of Chinese sculpture.Due to many works being moved overseas in modern times,domestic understanding of these sculptures is incomplete and has resulted in many fallacies.This set of arhat statues here discussed may have originally counted as much as sixteen different sculptures.Of these,only eight have survived and are now scattered in various museums across Europe,the United States,Japan,and other countries.These arhats come from Baluohan Mountain in Yi County,and were created during the Liao Dynasty by a number of unknown artists.They embody Liao Sculpture's distinctive realistic style,and feature characteristics of psychological portrayal.The statues,which feature the Liao tricolored technique,are Buddhist clay statues that appear to have been used only for a short while.Some scholars have pointed out that during the rule of Yelulongxu,Shengzong of the Liao Dynasty,the arhats came directly from the official kiln Longquanwu of the Liao Dynasty.Scholars believe that when the Mongolian army wiped out the Jin Dynasty,these precious Arhats were hidden in caves,ready to be restored to their original place once the political situation would have become more stable.Regrettably,the arhats never returned to their original temple,and the latter has since then stood without its protector.The arhats were later stolen and sold during the Republic of China,leaving the country through various channels.Due to art,religion,human nature and other reasons,the Arhat statues in Yi County have attracted worldwide attention,and it is an unquestionable fact that they play an essential role in our reconstruction of the history of Chinese sculpture.