Limestone carving of an Apsaras

Northern Wei period, early 6th century

This sculpture is of an apsaras, or heavenly being in a lively pose, wearing the floating garments that denote it would have been positioned as 'flying', carved out of the high wall or ceiling of a cave temple.  It was almost certainly carved for one of the Northern Wei Buddhist cave temples at Longmen where work began in the very late fifth century.