Chinese sculpture, dominated by simple images of the Buddha, dating from the era of the Northern Wei dynasty (AD 386534/535).
The art represents the first major influence of Buddhism on China, and may be divided into two major periods. The first style ( 0441; 452494), an amalgam of foreign influences traceable to the Buddhist art of India, is characterized by heavy stylization of blocky volumes. The second style ( 0441; 494535) clothes the Buddha in the costume of the Chinese scholar and emphasizes a sinuous cascade of drapery falling over an increasingly flattened figure.