Seated Bodhisattva
Yellow limestone
Seated Bodhisattva
CHINA; Eastern Wei dynasty
The Bodhisattva in the center is depicted seated with legs pendent and ankles crossed. The throne the figure sits upon is supported by warriors, who are flanked by Dharma-protecting lions. Both of the Bodhisattva’s hands are in mudras. Disciples and mustached Bodhisattvas flank the central figure.
The rest of the stele acts as a mandorla and encloses a lotus nimbus with a broad foliate rim. The Buddhas Sakyamuni and Prabhutaratna are seated side by side at the apex of the mandorla. Apsaras with stoles flowing behind them fill the rest of the space. An inscription located at the front of the four-legged stand dates the sculpture to 538 and states Xue Anhao commissioned it for his deceased daughter.
For more details, go to the Encyclopedia of Buddhist Arts: Sculpture N-Sr, page 985.
Cite this article:
author = Hsingyun and Youheng and Lovelock, Yann and Chou, Yuan and Huntington, Susan and Edson, Gary and Neather, Robert,
booktitle = {Encyclopedia of Buddhist Arts: Sculpture N-Sr},
pages = 985,
title = {{Seated Bodhisattva}},
volume = 12,
year = {2016}}