Paper abstract:

Among the earliest examples of Buddha images are copper coins, bronze and gold caskets, and stone sculptures made during the reign of King Kanishka I (127 to 150 CE) of the Kushan empire in Gandhara and Mathura. In China, studies of early Buddha images have centered around those attached to the bronze money trees and pottery jars as decorative elements discovered along the Yangtze River region. Recently, the discovery of two Buddhist statues in a tomb at an Eastern Han family cemetery, dated to around 158 CE, in Xianyang in 2021 has provided new evidence for the earliest free-standing Buddha statues in China and the early transmission of Buddha image from Gandhara to Chang’an. This paper aims to discuss the archaeological context and chronology of the two statues, possible identity of the tomb occupant, and cross-border traveling activities of both people and portable metal objects which enabled the early transmission of Buddha images, and adaptation of Gandhara style to the local taste, and new way of acting introduced by the two portable free-standing Buddha statues.