Life of the Buddha

CHINA; Northern Qi dynasty

Carvings depicting the Life of the Buddha is illustrated along the upper section of a pedestal that, according to the inscription on the lower section, originally supported a seated Maitreya. The inscription also states that the work was dedicated to benefit all sentient beings.
The front depicts four different sequences under an arched canopy of trees. From right to left these include the birth of Prince Siddhartha, with Queen Maya and her sister Mahaprajapati grouped on the right, and Sakra kneeling before them to receive the infant; behind him extend the seven lotuses that grew as the child made his first steps, with the prince balanced over the two at the end; on the other side of the tree towards which the child is reaching, naga kings bathe the standing prince; beyond that scene, Asita predicts the prince’s future for his seated father.
The back of the pedestal is similarly divided by trees growing from cliffs and shows scenes immediately preceding the Buddha’s enlightenment: in ascetic practice with three companions; a composite scene in which Sujata milks her cow and then offers the ascetic a porridge made from it; and finally the former ascetic bathes in the Nairanjana River but is still so weak that he needs the support of a branch to get back on the bank.
The left side is similarly divided but features one scene of the Buddha seated on a throne at the center delivering the first teaching. Under trees on either side sit the Buddha’s former ascetic companions, with deer crouching in the foreground to signify that this is taking place in Deer Park. On the right side, the Buddha passes into parinirvana with two disciples behind him, and then lying on the funeral pyre with many other disciples mourning.