Longxing Temple: Buddha Triad

CHINA, Shandong, Qingzhou; Northern Wei dynasty

The sculpture was unearthed from the site of Longxing Temple in 1996. It depicts a Buddha and two Bodhisattvas connected by a mandorla damaged at the top. The carving has retained much of its original paint, which shows that, though the lotus nimbus behind each head is carved in low relief, the radiations about the Buddha’s head, as well as the whole of his aureole, are painted.
The Buddha wears a monastic robe that covers both shoulders. He stands facing foreward on a round pedestal with long lotus stems spreading out on either side to support the Bodhisattvas that flank him. The Bodhisattvas have their hair tied up in topknots. Smooth stoles fall from the shoulders in double loops across their skirts. The hands closest to the Buddha are lowered to hold an object, while the raised hand on the other side holds a lotus bud.