Bodhisattva Triad

CHINA; Western Wei dynasty

This composite group is composed of a large Buddha and two smaller attendant Bodhisattvas. The main figure stands on a lotus pedestal, his round face benign. He wears a trefoil headdress with ribbons that descend to the arms. The clothes flare rhythmically downward to overlap the pedestal. A string of ornamental beads crosses the chest and loops back beneath the mantle. A petal-shaped outer layer surrounds the radiating lotus-pattern nimbus with seven small Buddha images around the rim. The two smaller Bodhisattvas of the triad are elevated to stand beside the main figure. A mountain censer is located at the base of the pedestal flanked by lions and warriors. The configuration of the figures is characteristic of a style that remained influential well into the High Tang period (712–756).