Monk Sengqie

The monk’s lowered eyes sit beneath a strong line of brows. His robes gather across his chest and cover his seated body in broad folds. Traces of color remain on the limestone, including small areas of green and red around the garments and seat. Follow the folds from the shoulders toward the lap. Their deep edges remain clear even where the painted surface has worn away. This late eleventh- or twelfth-century sculpture represents Sengqie, a monk from Central Asia who founded a temple at Sizhou near China’s Huai River. After his death, people venerated him as an incarnation of Guanyin, the Buddhist figure of compassion. The sculptor presents him with his legs folded and his body held upright, while the heavy robes spread across his lap. During the Song dynasty, devotion to Sengqie became associated with protection from floods. His temple’s setting near the Huai River gives that protective role a particular place.