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Period of the Northern and Southern Dynasties (386–589)

• 

  Buddha Maitreya (Mile), Northern Wei dynasty (386–534), dated 486
  China
  Gilt bronze with traces of pigment, piece-mold cast; H. 55 1/4 in. (140.3 cm)
  John Stewart Kennedy Fund, 1926 (26.123)

• 

  Bodhisattva, probably Avalokiteshvara (Guanyin), Northern Qi dynasty (550–77), ca. 550–60
  Shanxi Province, China
  Sandstone with pigments; H. 13 3/4 ft. (419.1 cm)
  The Sackler Fund, 1965 (65.29.4)

  
• 

  Guardian lion, Northern Qi dynasty (550–77)
  China
  Limestone; H. 25 3/4 in. (65.4 cm)
  Rogers Fund, 1930 (30.66.2)

• 

  Altarpiece dedicated to Buddha Maitreya (Mile), Northern Wei dynasty (386–534), dated 524
  China
  Gilt bronze; H 30 1/4 in. (76.9 cm)
  Rogers Fund, 1938 (38.158.1a–n)

• 

  Camel, Northern Wei–Northern Qi dynasty, mid–late 6th century
  China
  Earthenware with traces of pigment; H. 9 3/4 in. (24.8 cm)
  Rogers Fund, 1928 (28.121)

• 
  Tomb guardian (zhenmushou), Northern Wei to Northern Qi dynasties, mid- to late 6th century
  China
  Earthenware with pigment; H. 12 1/4 in. (31.1 cm)
  Purchase, Ann Eden Woodward Foundation Gift, 1979 (1979.438)
  
• 
  Jar, Six Dynasties (late Northern dynasties period)–Sui dynasty, ca. late 6th century
  China
  Earthenware with relief decoration under olive-green glaze; H. 13 7/8 in. (35.2 cm)
  Purchase, Stanley Herzmann Gift, 1996 (1996.15)
  

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The period between 386 and 581 A.D. in Chinese history is conventionally called the Northern and Southern Dynasties, when North China—under the control of the Tuoba clan of the Xianbei tribe (a proto-Mongol people)—was politically separated from, yet culturally connected with, the Chinese dynasties established in Jiankang (Nanking). The Northern Wei rulers were ardent supporters of Buddhism, a foreign religion utilized as a theocratic power for ideological and social control of the predominantly Chinese population. In the south, meanwhile, Confucian intellectuals engaged themselves in Neo-Daoist debates on metaphysical subjects, and learned monks studied and propagated Buddhist ideas that were in some ways compatible with Daoist philosophy.

The end of the Northern and Southern Dynasties also saw the beginning of a large influx of foreign immigrants, most of whom were traders or Buddhist missionaries from Central Asia.

Related

Timelines (3)

• China, 1–500 a.d.
• China, 500–1000 a.d.
• Korea, 500–1000 a.d.

Primary Thematic Essays (5)

• Chinese Buddhist Sculpture
• Chinese Calligraphy
• Chinese Painting
• List of Rulers of China
• Tang Dynasty (618–906)

Other Thematic Essays (8)

• Chinese Handscrolls
• Han Dynasty (206 B.C.–220 A.D.)
• Kings of Brightness in Japanese Esoteric Buddhist Art
• Korean Buddhist Sculpture (5th–9th century)
• Northern Song Dynasty (960–1127)
• Qin Dynasty (221–206 B.C.)
• The Vibrant Role of Mingqi in Early Chinese Burials
• Wang Hui (1632–1717)

Maps (2)

• World, 1-500 A.D
• World, 500-1000 A.D.

Index Terms (10)

Art Movement/Style

• Period of the Northern and Southern Dynasties in China
• Northern Wei Dynasty of China
• Sui Dynasty of China

Geography/Place

• China

Material and Technique

• Bronze from East Asia
• Sculpture in the Round from East Asia

Subject Matter/Theme

• Maitreya
• Buddha
• Buddhist Sculpture in the Round
• Trade (1–500 a.d.)

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The Buddhist rock-cut caves at the site of Yungang, constructed under the Northern Wei imperial sponsorship near Datong in present-day Shanxi Province, were decorated with sculptural images made after Indian models. The earlier archaic style began to change as a result of increasing diplomatic contacts between North and South China, particularly after a series of reform policies implemented by Emperor Xiaowen (r. 471–99). Marked by the adoption of Chinese language, costume, and political institutions, the Northern Wei reform contributed greatly to an artistic and cultural amalgamation in sixth-century China, which was also manifested in painting, calligraphy, the funerary and decorative arts, and the style of the cave-temples at Longmen in Henan Province.



The end of the Northern and Southern Dynasties also saw the beginning of a large influx of foreign immigrants, most of whom were traders or Buddhist missionaries from Central Asia. Some settled in China and held official posts; they adopted the Chinese way of life, but maintained their own social customs and practiced native religions. By the time China was united again under the Sui (581–618), the country had already experienced decades of relative political stability and social mobility, and its continuous receptiveness to outside influences prepared the way for the advent of the most glorious and prosperous epoch in its history—the Tang dynasty (618–906).



Department of Asian Art, The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Citation Department of Asian Art. "Period of the Northern and Southern Dynasties (386–589)". In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/nsdy/hd_nsdy.htm (October 2002) Related exhibitions and online features Special Exhibitions (including upcoming, current, and past exhibitions)