Henan province, Southern Xiangtangshan
Northern Qi dynasty (550-77), ca. 565-75
Limestone with pigment

Both the Eastern Wei (535-50) and the Northern Qi dynasties
were ruled from a captial at Ye (present day Linzhang) in
southern Hebei province; both sponsored the construction of
new cave temples. The complex built at Xiangtangshan (not far
from the capital) dates from the Northern Qi period. It consists
of two sites: the three enormous cave temples at the top of the
mountain are known as Northern Xiangtangshan, while an additional
seven smaller shrines, about fifteen kilometers to the south, are
known as Southern Xiangtangshan. This head comes from the
southern site, which was constructed slightly later than
Northern Xiangtangshan.