Sakyamuni Buddha

CHINA; Eastern Wei dynasty

The Buddha stands with feet slightly apart on a circular pedestal. The right hand is raised in the abhaya (fearlessness) mudra and the left hand is in the varada (wish-granting) mudra. The figure’s curled hair builds into a flattened usnisa and the smiling face gives way to an elongated neck. The monastic robes are carved with rippling folds. The slightly damaged mandorla has a flame-patterned outer rim, while the inner rim features carvings of Bodhisattvas, lotuses, vases, mountain censers and Dharma protectors. The petaled circular nimbus behind the head is broken.
Incised on the back of the mandorla are reliefs of episodes from the Buddha’s birth. This sculpture was dedicated by the monk Daoying from Qixian Temple in Huaizhou (present day Qinyang, Henan) in the year 546 according to the inscription at the bottom.