佛像是人们崇奉的法物,供奉祈福,以求平安。古代还没有人是出自爱好而收藏佛像的,这和书画、青铜器等不同。见于史籍的,最早在唐朝,人们即已开始收藏书画,例如唐张彦远《历代名画记》中就记载了不少这方面的事例。北宋时人们开始收藏瓷器,可见陆游《老学庵笔记》。宋代赵明诚《金石录》记载了许多历代碑刻,有些属于佛教造像碑,因此也留下佛教艺术的记录。在佛教史上还记载了许多所旧外国佛像,《续高僧传》卷25“僧意传”载:释僧意……元魏中住太 Buddha statues are the worship of people, worship, pray for peace. No one in ancient times is from a hobby and collection of statues, and calligraphy and painting, bronze and so different. Found in historical records, as early as the Tang Dynasty, people began to collect paintings and calligraphy, such as Tang Zhang Yan Yuan “Records of Famous Paintings in History” recorded a lot of examples in this regard. Northern Song Dynasty, people began to collect porcelain, we can see Lu You, “Old School Temple Notes.” Zhao Mingcheng in the Song Dynasty “Jinshi Lu” recorded many ancient inscriptions, some belong to the Buddhist statues monument, it also left a record of Buddhist art. In the history of Buddhism also recorded many of the old foreign Buddha statues, “Continued monk biography” volume 25 “monk intent biography” contains: