Based on field investigation and published materials, this paper presents a detailed analysis of the coronets of Song dynasty stone bodhisattvas in Sichuan province and comes to the following conclusions: coronets with patterns of coiled floral and peony were highly developed from late Northern Song to late Southern Song dynasty. Inheriting the traditions of the Tang and Five Dynasties and absorbing the elements of secular coiled floral designs in the Song dynasty, the coronets with coiled floral designs were further developed; coronets with peony designs were a creation for Bodhisattva images because the peonies were very popular among the Song dynasty people and the center of peony cultivation moved to Sichuan. From the late Northern Song to early Southern Song dynasty, the two kinds of coronets were flexible in design, especially in the Shaoxing era( 1131-1162) during the Southern Song dynasty, which showed the creativity of that time. In late Southern Song dynasty, the patterns of these two types reached their perfection. The evolution of the coronets of Song dynasty stone bodhisattvas in Sichuan reflects the secularization and localization processes of Buddhist art.
