early buddhism in china: daoist reactions 211
changed from the original three-quarters to a frontal one, facing the
viewer in the same way as the Buddha does. Furthermore, whereas on
most, and especially on all early representations the Queen Mother is
portrayed as having “normal” shoulders, on some stone carvings and
sarcophagi, however, they have “protuberances” whose tips are point-
ing towards the sky.^38 Some scholars interpreted them wrongly, I think,
but understandably, as wings.^39 Whenever winged immortals or xian
indeed occur in Han art, whether in stone carvings,^40 sarcophagi
or even as sculptures, the tips of their wings usually point towards
the earth (unless they are obviously ying in the air). The position of the
“protuberances”, therefore, is atypical for wings. Furthermore, on the
already mentioned stone column of the Yi’nan tomb, right in the middle
of one side the Buddha (with u
a, abhayamudr and holding his gar-
ment) is shown with exactly the same “outgrowths” as Xi Wang Mu
and Dong Wang Fu (the King Father of the East) at the top
of two other sides of the same column.^41 Neither in Central Asian art
nor in China is the Buddha portrayed as a winged being. Accordingly,
these “epaulettes” must have a different meaning. An indication can
be found in the carving on a stone cof n from Pixian , Sichuan:^42
Here, each of Xi Wang Mu’s shoulder “decorations” is even split into
three parts. This representation de nitely excludes the attribution of
“wings” to these adornments: they are nowhere seen on winged gures.
It is again to the Buddha’s representations that we must turn to nd
an explanation. In Gandhra of the Kua period Buddha sculptures
were made that show the Buddha in dhynsana with ame-shoulders:
with ames ascending from his shoulders. Examples were found from
Gandhra^43 to Kabul^44 and Paitava, Afghanistan.^45 In these examples,
the ames are con ned to the shoulders proper. Quite impressive is the
ame-shouldered Buddha in gilded bronze in the Arthur M. Sackler
(^38) Xi Wang Mu and Dong Wang Fu on the gables of the Wu Liang shrine, Wu Hung
1989, p. 110. Rubbing from stone sarcophagi in Wu Hung 2000, p. 89, 39 gs. 18, 19.
James 1996, p. 83.
(^40) Wu Hung 1986, g. 15: from the Wu Liang shrine. Clearly visible in the carvings
on the facade of the Yi’nan tomb is the contrast between the wings of the two immortal
“alchemists” at the sides of Dong Wang Fu who shows the same “protuberances” as
his consort. See Zeng et al. 1956, gs. 26 (Dong Wang Fu) and 25 (Xi Wang Mu).
(^41) Drawing of the stone carving reproduced in Wu Hung 1986, g. 7.
(^42) Rubbing reproduced in Kaogu 1979.6, p. 500, g. 10, and in James 1995, g. 21.
(^43) Gandhra example (ca. 2nd century AD) in Taddei 1974, pl. clxiii, g. 1.
(^44) Example from near Kabul (2nd–3rd century AD) in Taddei 1992, pl. 1.
(^45) Photograph in Rhie 1999, g. 1.49.