Conclusion
This complex art form thrived during the Tang dynasty due to the unique environment that was considered China’s golden age1. The expansion of international relations, the explosion of Buddhism in imperial China, and the enthusiasm for the arts were serendipitously timed for the development of this beautiful but expensive and laborious method of Buddhist sculpture2. Writing this paper did make me wonder: if the process was so difficult, costly, and time consuming, why was it so popular? The hypothesis I liked the most was not that the dry lacquer was impervious to rot and bugs, or that the hollowed out shell made the sculptures light enough to carry around. It was the more mystical explanation that holy priests and leaders were often mummified with lacquer and so the Chinese people associated lacquer with holiness, magic, and luxury and fueled a desire for these incredible dry lacquer Buddhas3.
